Podcasts about Chinese

CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-25-2026COVER OF FANTASTIC MAGAZINE OCTOBER 1961Liz Peek, columnist for The Hill and Fox News, discusses the surprising resilience of the American economy, noting that small businesses are reporting strong hiring and profitability growth based on broad National Federation of Independent Business and Bank of America data. While consumer spending remains robust, recent data reveals a K-shaped economy, where higher-income homeowners spend extensively on renovations while lower-income consumers trade down at Walmart. Rising interest rates present a critical challenge, slamming the housing market and significantly increasing interest payments on the massive national debt. Lastly, the administration's tariff conflict with Canada is criticized as a major, highly unfortunate, and economically damaging political mistake. (1)Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, evaluates the Treasury's initial tranches of secondary sanctions targeting entities trading with Iran, including firms in China and the UAE. Although these measures stop short of targeting major Chinese banks, they provide President Trump with leverage ahead of his Washington summit with Xi Jinping. Within the Middle East, Schanzer warns that regional powers are hedging their bets. Saudi Arabia may be negotiating a separate peace with the Houthis and Iran, which could undermine US sanctions. Additionally, the US controversially rescinded Syria's state sponsor of terror status following the rapid rise of former al-Qaeda commander Ahmed al-Shara. (2)Mary Kissel, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, analyzes Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, asserting that its success relies on penalizing large Chinesefinancial institutions. However, Beijing holds significant economic and military leverage over the US, including export controls on critical minerals. Regarding North America, Kissel describes the escalating trade war with Canada as a "loser's game" driven by domestic politics. She stresses that the 50% tariffs on essential materials like Canadianaluminum and auto parts disrupt deeply integrated supply chains. Consequently, this trade conflict severely harms ordinary consumers and threatens Republican control of key Senate seats in critical border states of Maine and Michigan. (3)Colonel Jeff McCausland, US Army (Retired) and Visiting Professor at Dickinson College, warns that the US foreign policy process has collapsed under President Trump, who relies on personal loyalty over expert advice. This is illustrated by Trump's sudden decision to reduce joint US-South Korea military exercises without notifying allies. McCausland argues this undercuts South Korea while offering concessions to a nuclear-armed dictator, Kim Jong-un, who actively supplies weapons to Russia for the Ukraine war. Furthermore, he criticizes the "economic D-Day" against Iran as highly insincere given key delays in sanctioning China, and strongly condemns the trade war against Canada, a loyal ally with a rich military history. (4)Gregory Copley, editor of Defense & Foreign Affairs, argues that the US sanctions regime against Iran is strategic signaling that makes Washington look weak, as it ignores China's trade dominance and threatens relations with India. He also views the Canadian trade dispute as a strategic failure that weakens the NORAD treaty and forces Canada to act independently in the Arctic. This unpredictability has alienated European allies, who are now bypassing the US to negotiate directly on Ukraine. Additionally, Copley analyzes post-Petro Colombia, detailing how the energetic new president faces massive domestic security issues, narco-trafficking networks, and the grounding of critical disaster relief aircraft under sanctions. (5)Thaddeus McCotter, former US Representative from Michigan and columnist for American Greatness, details the severe political and economic fallout of Trump's trade war with Canada, noting that insulting rhetoric like the "51st state" remark has politically boosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. He explains that border states like Michigan and Maine share deep commercial integration, meaning 50% tariffs will directly harm their local economies. This unvetted policy blindsided senior Republican legislators, including Susan Collins, who openly opposed the tariffs and avoided a campaign rally with Vice President Vance. Ultimately, McCotter warns that these tariffs jeopardize critical Senate seats in highly contested swing states, giving rival Democrats a very major campaign advantage. (6)Judy Dempsey, Senior Scholar in Berlin for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, with co-host Thaddeus McCotter: Dempsey describes European Baltic and Nordic leaders flocking to Kyiv, yet warns that "moral outrage" lacks a cohesive strategic plan to negotiate an end to the war. She highlights the rising prominence of the pro-Russian, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in state elections. Interestingly, an ideological rift has emerged as radical AfD factions in East Germany sour on MAGA due to Trump's policies on Iran. McCotter delivers a severe critique of the MAGA-AfD relationship, arguing MAGA should never have "played footsies" with neo-Nazis, and asserting the AfD is fundamentally aligned with Vladimir Putin rather than the United States—their temporary embrace of MAGA merely a superficial attraction. Although West Germans have abandoned historical sentiments toward Russiadue to the Ukraine invasion, East Germany remains deeply split, harboring lingering sentimental pro-Russian views and separate post-unification cultural dynamics. (7)Note: segment 7 came with a separate co-host block for McCotter, so I've folded his critique into the single paragraph after Dempsey's material — flag me if you'd rather run his commentary as its own standalone file.

Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, evaluates the Treasury's initial tranches of secondary sanctions targeting entities trading with Iran, including firms in China and the UAE. Although these measures stop short of targeting major Chinese banks, they provide President Trump with leverage ahead of his Washington summit with Xi Jinping. Within the Middle East, Schanzer warns that regional powers are hedging their bets. Saudi Arabia may be negotiating a separate peace with the Houthis and Iran, which could undermine US sanctions. Additionally, the US controversially rescinded Syria's state sponsor of terror status following the rapid rise of former al-Qaeda commander Ahmed al-Shara. (2)

Mary Kissel, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, analyzes Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, asserting that its success relies on penalizing large Chinesefinancial institutions. However, Beijing holds significant economic and military leverage over the US, including export controls on critical minerals. Regarding North America, Kissel describes the escalating trade war with Canada as a "loser's game" driven by domestic politics. She stresses that the 50% tariffs on essential materials like Canadianaluminum and auto parts disrupt deeply integrated supply chains. Consequently, this trade conflict severely harms ordinary consumers and threatens Republican control of key Senate seats in critical border states of Maine and Michigan. (3)

It's ev.news Briefly for Tuesday 25 August 2026, only today's headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the ev.news Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/evnewsWALMART OPENS 100TH FAST-CHARGING STATIONWalmart has opened its 100th branded EV fast-charging station at its Monument, Colorado Supercenter, extending a network that now covers 20 states — up from 17 a month earlier — despite the retailer having no branded chargers less than two years ago. The four-stall site uses ABB Mobility all-in-one dispensers delivering up to 400 kW with NACS and CCS1 connectors and app-only payment, part of a rollout that added 612 stalls in the first half of 2026 and ranked second only to Tesla for new ports energised in Q2, at an average $0.43 per kWh with 10% off for Walmart+ members.HYUNDAI OPENS IONIQ V PRE-SALES IN CHINABeijing Hyundai has begun pre-sales of the Ioniq V at the 2026 Chengdu Auto Show ahead of a September launch, priced from 119,900 yuan (about $17,300) to 139,900 yuan across three versions, with up to 650 km of CLTC range, an 800-volt E-GMP architecture, CATL LFP batteries of 53.5 or 66.8 kWh and single motors of 140 or 168 kW. It is the first production Ioniq developed in China, using a 27-inch 4K Snapdragon 8295 screen, Momenta highway L2+ assistance and Baidu and ByteDance AI infotainment, as Hyundai targets 20 electrified models and 500,000 annual Chinese sales by 2030.POLESTAR CLAIMS UNEQUAL US TREATMENTPolestar has accused the US Commerce Department of "disparate treatment" after a June 24 denial blocked its American sales from model year 2027, noting that Volvo — which shares Chinese majority owner Geely and builds the Polestar 3 on the same South Carolina line — was authorised earlier in 2026. In an Aug. 18 letter, Peter Wexler said the 13-month review dismissed mitigation offers including audits, cybersecurity reviews and removal of China links from data management, despite officials indicating in January and April that approval was likely; dealers have called the outcome devastating, with a New Jersey group suing for $25 million over an allegedly concealed US withdrawal.DUTCH PLUG-IN MARKET FAVOURS RICH HOUSEHOLDSStatistics agency CBS found that the Netherlands' shift to electric cars has mainly benefited wealthy households, with the top-earning 10% buying almost 75,000 of the roughly 259,000 electric and plug-in hybrid cars traded in 2025 and the top 20% accounting for nearly half. The lowest-earning 10% bought about 6,000, or 2%, and two-thirds of cars bought by the poorest fifth were over a decade old, prompting a €52 million, three-year subsidy scheme from the final quarter of 2026 for lower- and middle-income buyers of second-hand EVs who scrap older petrol or diesel vehicles.MERCEDES CLA ELECTRIC COVERS 385 MILES AT 70 MPHThe dual-motor 2027 Mercedes-Benz CLA 350 4MATIC Electric covered 385 miles in a constant-speed 70 mph range test on 19-inch wheels, exceeding its 312-mile EPA Combined rating by 73 miles, or 23%, with 2 miles remaining at 0% charge. Consumption of 225 Wh per mile implied 86.6 kWh used against an 85-kWh net battery, with the result credited to the 800-volt Mercedes Modular Architecture and a two-speed rear-motor transmission of the type that has also helped Porsche and Audi models beat their ratings.OPEL SETS 2028 DATE FOR ELECTRIC CORSAOpel CEO Florian Huettl has pushed the all-electric Corsa successor from 2027 to 2028, moving the brand's best-seller onto Stellantis' STLA Small platform as a battery-electric-only model with bigger batteries, more range and prices from €25,000, against the current e-CMP Corsa Electric's 46-49 kWh battery, 429 km claim and €30,440 starting price. Huettl cited improving range, charging and fuel costs rather than any fixed date to end combustion engines, and Opel will still deliver the e-CMP-based Corsa GSE, capable of 0-100 kph in 5.5 seconds, to dealers this year.ROME BACKS ELECTRIC AND HYDROGEN BUSESRome will spend €117 million from Italy's infrastructure ministry on new buses through operator ATAC, split between €83.6 million for hydrogen models and €27.1 million for battery-electric ones plus depot upgrades, though neither quantities nor manufacturers have been named. A further €6 million in European funding will build a green hydrogen hub using local electrolysis at ATAC's Acilia site, complementing a charge introduced in July 2026 for EVs entering a restricted central zone that takes about 50,000 cars a day against a designed capacity of 20,000.SUZUKI PLANS VISION E-SKY EUROPE EXPORTSuzuki intends to export its Vision e-Sky electric microcar from Japan, with Europe possible in 2027 and the UK and Italy under review at an expected UK price below £20,000, ahead of a Japanese world premiere in autumn and production at a plant southwest of Tokyo. Based on Japan's kei-car class and targeting 310 km of range with likely LFP cells from BYD's corporate network, it would be Suzuki's first battery-electric kei car and reportedly the first exported almost unchanged, offering growth potential after European sales fell 15% to 187,000 in the year to March.MEXICO ELECTRIFIED SALES RISE AS PRODUCTION FALLSMexico sold 95,037 electrified vehicles in the first half of 2026, up 44% year on year for a 12.6% market share, led by Toyota in conventional hybrids and boosted by expanding Chinese brands, while charging points reached 60,934 and 170 electrified models are now offered. Production moved the other way, falling to 47,411 units from 110,002 a year earlier as weaker US demand cut Equinox output by 81.6% and Blazer output by 80%, prompting the Electro Mobility Association to call for policies supporting both electrification and domestic manufacturing.ELECTRIC MOTORHOME USES EVOLVE PLATFORMCityFreighter, Vöhringer and Motive Development have unveiled an electric motorhome demonstrator for Europe's 4.25-tonne Class B category, built on CityFreighter's Evolve skateboard with a Vöhringer AIRPLY lightweight interior and coming in under 3.5 tonnes complete with kitchen, bathroom and heat pump, leaving about 750 kg of payload. Its 128-kWh battery gives roughly 400 km of range, supports vehicle-to-load and charges from 10-80% in about 20 minutes at up to 200 kW, while independent battery replacement and upgrades are pitched as protecting residual value in vehicles that often stay in service for decades.

This episode of the John Phillips Show is a must-listen for anyone concerned about the future of Los Angeles. The city's small business owners are facing an uncertain fate as developers push for high-density housing, and the city's politicians seem more interested in catering to Chinese investors than protecting the community. The speaker delves into the world of local politics, discussing the upcoming mayoral election and the candidates vying for the top spot.The conversation touches on the challenges faced by small business owners, including the high cost of living and the lack of support from the city. The speaker also discusses the impact of the city's policies on the community, highlighting the importance of preserving the unique character of Los Angeles. With the city's history and culture at stake, this episode is a timely and thought-provoking discussion about the future of the city.The speaker is joined by Professor Barbara Stone, a renowned expert in political science, who shares her insights on the mayoral election and the role of the Democratic Socialists in the party. The conversation also touches on the rise of anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party and the implications for the future of the party.If you're concerned about the future of Los Angeles and the impact of politics on the community, this episode is a must-listen. Join the conversation and hear the speaker's thoughts on the mayoral election, the challenges faced by small business owners, and the future of the city.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alice Han and James Kynge start in Taipei, where the government has approved a record $35 billion defense budget for 2027 — an 18.2% jump — coming right on the heels of this year's Han Kuang drills, which mobilized nearly 22,000 reservists and adopted U.S.-style command tactics for the first time. They dig into what it means for Taiwan's military readiness, and whether this is more about deterring China or convincing Washington. Then: Evergrande founder Hui Ka Yan — once China's richest man — has been sentenced to life in prison for financial fraud on a staggering scale, closing the book on the world's largest corporate liquidation tied to the property sector. Alice and James ask whether the sentencing does anything to fix China's still-struggling housing market. Finally: China's humanoid robot industry is booming — Chinese vendors account for 97% of global shipments — but who's actually buying them, and how much of the demand is real versus a "circular financing" loop that inflates the numbers? Subscribe to China Decode on Substack for weekly analysis, livestreams, and deep dives into the biggest story shaping the global economy: chinadecode.profgmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-24-2026.OTTAWAConrad Black and co-host Edmund Fitton-Brown discuss the collapse of trade negotiations and subsequent US tariff threats that have sparked a major political crisis in Canada, leading to opposition calls to immediately reconvene Parliament. Black describes a stark contrast in national attitudes, noting that President Trump's rhetoric effectively denies Canada's sovereignty. This perceived affront has deeply united Canadians across party lines, who view the tariffs as an assault on national identity rather than a mere commercial dispute. Black highlights potential Republican electoral fallout in key US Senate races like Maine and Michigan, and suggests a bilateral phone call could resolve the dispute. (1)Janatyn Sayeh and Edmund Fitton-Brown examine Iranian official Ghalibaf's public appearance in Iraq, signaling defiance to the US and Israel before secondary sanctions are revealed. Sayeh explains that Iran views Iraq as its backyard, using it to evade sanctions by blending Iranian oil with Iraqi exports. Under President Trump, US economic scrutiny on Iraq has increased to block this smuggling. While maximum pressure has devalued Iran's currency and caused hyperinflation, Iran aims to overwhelm Washington by utilizing its regional proxy networks across Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq. The US must view these proxies as Iranian arms rather than local actors. (2)Ernesto Araújo and Alejandro Peña Esclusa, with Edmund Fitton-Brown: In Brazil, falling poll numbers have panicked President Lula, prompting him to call Donald Trump despite years of anti-American rhetoric. Araújo explains this reflects the US's central role in combating South American "narcosocialist" regimes. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, Delcyand Jorge Rodríguez are simulating cooperation with the US while delaying presidential elections to buy time. Peña Esclusa notes that Venezuelan opposition members are negotiating Supreme Court appointments rather than election dates or political prisoners. Both guests will attend Slovenia's Bled Strategic Forum to discuss Latin America's right-wing political shift and potential energy partnerships with Europe. (3)Malcolm Hoenlein and Edmund Fitton-Brown discuss rising security concerns in Israel after incendiary balloons from Gaza were discovered, potentially testing Israel's border preparedness. Concurrently, Turkey is expanding its regional footprint, occupying 5% of Syria and attempting to establish military bases, which Israel countered with airstrikes. In Gaza, Jared Kushner met with Hamas in Cairo, a move that critics argue bolsters the group's status despite declining local support. Meanwhile, the US Treasury has previewed secondary sanctions on Iranian trading partners, including China. Iran's economy is in collapse, with inflation skyrocketing and the currency reaching an all-time low. (4)David Daoud and Edmund Fitton-Brown examine UNIFIL's mandate, which restricts it to acting as an auxiliary to the Lebanese Armed Forces, preventing independent disarmament of Hezbollah. Consequently, Hezbollah operates freely near UN watchtowers and tunnel networks. Daoud argues that while new US Treasury sanctions expanding target parameters to include Iranian violations are positive, they fail to address Hezbollah's deep integration into Lebanon's socio-political fabric. To be effective, the West must treat Hezbollah as a Lebanese entity with sovereign responsibilities, rather than purely an Iranian proxy. True security requires targeting all of Hezbollah's activities, including its social and political wings. (5)Ivana Stradner and Edmund Fitton-Brown analyze Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's visit to Belgrade, which does not signal a split between Serbia and Russia. President Vučić's weapons sales to Ukraine are merely lucrative business deals. Serbia remains highly dependent on Russia, sharing deep intelligence ties and cooperating with the FSB to test crowd-control equipment. Vučić balances these relationships to survive domestic protests sparked by environmental concerns and a severe heatwave. Stradner, recently returning from Israel, reports that Israeli morale remains exceptionally high despite facing a multi-front threat from Iran's proxy network, which Russia continues to exploit through regional propaganda and strategic manipulation. (6)Edmund Fitton-Brown critiques the term "economic D-Day," explaining that Pakistan's mediation in Iran is self-interested, driven by fears of secondary US sanctions. These sanctions have suffocated Iran's economy, reducing oil exports and sparking hyperinflation. Iraq also struggles with contradictory policies, balancing its US alliance with pro-Iranian gestures, such as securing tanker passage through the Strait of Hormuz. In the Red Sea, the Houthis demand tribute from Saudi Arabia to halt attacks on tankers and pipelines. Fitton-Brown warns that paying the Houthis only delays their long-term expansionist goals against Saudi territory and Israel. (7)Samuel Ben-Ur and Edmund Fitton-Brown discuss how, following a temporary lull, Hamas has intensified attacks in Gaza, emboldened by disarmament frameworks proposed by Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators. Ben-Ur notes Hamas only accepted the deal under the pretense of disarming while intending to survive intact. However, following Jared Kushner's visit, the US aligned with Israel's stance, demanding total disarmament before military withdrawal. Fitton-Brown and Ben-Ur discuss the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (ENCAG), a secular government planned to replace Hamas. Lacking military power, ENCAG's deployment depends on an international stabilization force, though troop commitments remain severely short. (8)Michael Sobolik and Edmund Fitton-Brown examine how Chinese AI company Moonshot bypassed US export controls by "distilling" technology from Anthropic's Claude Opus model to train its own system, Kimi K3. This intellectual property theft threatens American market dominance and national security. Sobolik recommends three policy actions: imposing crushing financial sanctions on violating Chinese firms, closing export control loopholes related to remote cloud access, and banning open CCP models in the United States. He warns that American tech companies prioritizing short-term profits over security risk losing the AI race, mirroring historical patterns of Chinese piracy. (9)John Hardie and Edmund Fitton-Brown outline Russia's military assistance to Iran via the Caspian Sea, a highly secure transit route. This collaboration benefits Moscow by raising energy prices and draining US munition stockpiles like Patriot interceptors, giving Russia a freer hand in Ukraine. Russia provides Iran with tactical intelligence, drone components to resist satellite jamming, and has agreed to deliver shoulder-launched air defense missiles. While Ukraine and Israel have attempted long-range strikes against trade vessels and ports to disrupt this flow, interdiction is difficult because the Caspian Sea operates as a protected, non-transparent Russian-Iranian military lake. (10)Standing corrections applied: Janatyn Sayeh, Ernesto Araújo, Alejandro Peña Esclusa, Delcy Rodríguez (and Jorge Rodríguez), Zelenskyy, Vučić with diacritics, and Kimi K3 (source again had "Kimmy"). One anomaly in the source: segment 7 listed Fitton-Brown as both guest and co-host, so I've formatted it as his solo segment — flag it if there was a second voice in that file.

Michael Sobolik and  Gordon Chang examine how Chinese AI company Moonshot bypassed US export controls by "distilling" technology from Anthropic's Claude Opus model to train its own system, Kimi K3. This intellectual property theft threatens American market dominance and national security. Sobolik recommends three policy actions: imposing crushing financial sanctions on violating Chinese firms, closing export control loopholes related to remote cloud access, and banning open CCP models in the United States. He warns that American tech companies prioritizing short-term profits over security risk losing the AI race, mirroring historical patterns of Chinese piracy. (9)

Episode 4210 │ August 25, 2026 Anthropic admitted degrading their own AI's output quality to comply with EU watermarking law. Mike Adams says that changed the entire race. WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS  Scott Kesterson sits down with Mike Adams for their first conversation in a year, opening with the oracle versus librarian framework both have independently arrived at — AI as a tool for research and task execution, never as a divine verdict-giver — and using the Chinese farmer Wu's destroyed sesame crop as the case study for why blaming AI rather than human accountability misdiagnoses every failure. Adams delivers the most significant claim of the interview: Anthropic publicly admitted to watermarking all model outputs under EU law by statistically biasing token selection, a technical concession that provably reduces output quality, while China's DeepSeek, Qwen, and other open-published models have pulled ahead of the US frontier labs specifically because Chinese companies shared their research openly instead of hoarding it as classified defense technology. The conversation closes on the sovereign computing model both are independently building — desktop AI on AMD's Strix Halo chip, open-weight models run locally on solar power, and a coming economy where owning hardware and generating your own energy matters more than money, because decentralized cognition is, in Adams's words, the single greatest threat to globalist control of what people are allowed to know. KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED  What did Anthropic publicly admit about watermarking their AI model outputs to comply with EU law — and why does Mike Adams argue this technical concession provably reduces the quality of every response, even for US domestic users who never consented to it? How did China overtake the US in the AI race — and why does Adams argue that China's strategy of openly publishing research papers and sharing innovations like sparse attention mechanisms and KV cache compression across companies proved more effective than the secrecy-driven US model treating AI as classified defense technology? What is the sovereign computing model Scott and Mike Adams are both building — and why does running open-weight AI models locally on solar-powered hardware represent, in Adams's words, decentralized augmented cognition and the single greatest threat to globalist controllers who have always sought to limit public access to knowledge? ABOUT BARDSFM BardsFM is a daily independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, and information warfare. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — combat veteran, documentary filmmaker, and rancher. Over 4,100 episodes and 50 million lifetime downloads. New episodes every weekday. bards.fm This episode was researched and produced under the Spatial Terra Intelligence Methodology (STIM v5) — the analytical framework built by Scott Kesterson — with AI-assisted research synthesis at a 70/30 human/AI authorship ratio, fully disclosed. All analysis, conclusions, and editorial judgments are those of Scott Kesterson. BardsFM's archive includes hundreds of episodes on prayer, scripture, and walking the Way of Christ — available free in the full episode catalog. DOWNLOADS Citizen's Guide - Community Organizing Against Data Centers: click here Citizen's Guide - Auditing Automatic License Plate Readers: click here Citizen's Guide - Auditing Your State's Driver License Data: click here AFFILIATE LINKS Bards Nation Health Store: www.bardsnationhealth.com MYPillow promo code: BARDS >> Go to https://www.mypillow.com/bards and use the promo code BARDS or... Call 1-800-975-2939.  EMPShield protect your vehicles and home. Promo code BARDS: Click here Treadlite Broadforks...best garden tool EVER. Promo code BARDS26: TreadliteBroadforks.com EnviroKlenz Air Purification, promo code BARDS to save 10%: www.enviroklenz.com Morning Intro Music Provided by Brian Kahanek: www.briankahanek.com Founders Bible 20% discount code: BARDS >>> TheFoundersBible.com Windblown Media 20% Discount with promo code BARDS: windblownmedia.com White Oak Pastures Grassfed Meats, Get $20 off any order $150 or more. Promo Code BARDS: www.whiteoakpastures.com/BARDS Mission Darkness Faraday Bags and RF Shielding. Promo code BARDS: Click here DONATIONS: If you wish to support this podcast directly you can donate here... DONATE: Click here MAILING ADDRESS: Xpedition Cafe, LLC Attn. Scott Kesterson 591 E Central Ave, #740 Sutherlin, OR  97479

From A.I. to E.V.s to pharmaceuticals and energy, China is outpacing the U.S. for global dominance. New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, when America has pulled research funding, China is funneling billions of dollars to remake its economy, why scientists are flocking to Chinese labs, and why this should serve as a warning to isolationist government policies. His article is “The Future, Made in China.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Trade deal talks between the US and Canada just collapsed, and Mark Carney has confirmed that the two countries are in a trade war. Many Canadian politicians are now threatening to cut off energy flowing into the US, but there's just one problem. Doing so would cripple more than half of Canada too. There are big things happening at Blaze, and we'd love for you to join us. You can join now at https://Get.BlazeTV.com/Nick and use promo code “NICK” to get $20 off! SPONSOR: American Financing American Financing helps homeowners use their equity to consolidate high-interest credit card debt, with mortgage rates in the 5s and zero upfront fees. Borrowers save an average of $800 a month, and with a likely rate hike coming in September, acting now could save you thousands. You may even be able to delay two mortgage payments. NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.327% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-886-2026 for details about credit costs and terms. Average savings based on borrowers who save over $199.99. Call 866-886-2026 or visit https://www.AmericanFinancing.net/MTA ----- GET YOUR MERCH HERE: https://shop.nickjfreitas.com/ BECOME A MEMBER OF THE IC: https://NickJFreitas.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickjfreitas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickFreitasVA Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickJFreitas YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Nickjfreitas TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nickjfreitas3.0 00:00 – Trump declares a trade war on Canada 01:58 – What tariffs are actually good for 05:48 – Canada wants the benefits of being a US State, without being one 08:58 – Why this is really about China and Iran 11:07 – Luxury beliefs, and who pays for them 15:22 – Why tariffs don't make a country richer 20:40 – What's actually being tariffed 23:33 – How Chinese steel becomes a North American car 30:01 – Ontario threatens to cut off the energy 32:09 – The pipeline they cancelled, and the leverage they lost 41:19 – How long until somebody flinches? 44:01 – The demand that actually broke the talks 48:47 – The conversation Canada didn't want to have 57:23 – Why everyone is waiting on the midterms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we talk about borders, trade wars, and belligerence.We also discuss Trump's tariffs, inflation, and nationalism.Recommended Book: Vulture Capitalism by Grace BlakeleyTranscriptThe US and Canada share the longest international border in the world, totaling more than 5,500 miles, or nearly 8,900 km. The specific details of this border have changed over the decades, but the current delineation was largely in place following the San Juan Islands water arbitration of 1872, which brought a 12-year joint military standoff between the US and Great Britain, known as the Pig War, to an end, and fed into a 1908 legal framework that relied on modern mapping of the entire frontier, which led to the precise cartography of the current international border between the US and Canada.Since then, after some issues with gold rush-era land rights were figured out in Alaska, and some treaties were signed regarding the disarmament of the Great Lakes, things have been pretty calm along this massive border. Trade hasn't always been the most efficient and free—the early 20th century in particular was pretty fraught in this regard, as Anti-Americanism raged through Canada. That led to a dismissal of a proposed lowering of trade barriers by the Canadian Liberal government in 1911, anti-American sentiment flogged by the Conservatives, who rode their slogan, “No truck or trade with the Yankees,” to a Canadian nationalism-powered victory.After the US entered WWI and the Allies tallied a victory, though, the US and Canada exchanged their first ambassadors, Warren Harding became the first US President to make an official visit the confederated Canada, visiting Vancouver in 1923, and things between these two countries were looking pretty good until 1930, when the US passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which was a protectionist trade act that, among other things, raised tariffs on incoming Canadian goods in order to protect competing American business interests; making the local offerings artificially more competitive than the stuff coming in from Canada, basically.The Canadian government hit back with their own higher tariffs and shifted more of their trade to other Commonwealth nations, which led to a decrease in trade between the US and Canada of about 75%; and this was happening during the Great Depression, which is why that Act was enacted, the US government was hoping to bolster their own economy, but instead of helping, it furthered those economic difficulties, because of that drop in trade and international custom—Smoot-Hawley is generally considered to have been an incredibly bad economic move, and US President Hoover signed it against the advice of senior economists, because it seemed politically expedient, US businesses were clamoring for advantages because they thought it would help them, but instead it worsened the Great Depression, and this Act is now taught as a cautionary example of why protectionist trade policies, while appealing in a nationalist sense, tend to be pretty bad, almost always, economically.US-Canadian relations improved a bit in the WWII-era, and into the early decades of the Cold War. By the late-1960s, the US had become Canada's largest export market, and that's why Nixon's 1971 decision to enact a 10% tariff on all imports, including those from Canada, hit the Canadian economy so hard. Overall US-Canadian relations soured during Nixon's time in the White House, in part because the Canadian government pivoted toward Europe, rather than kowtowing to the US' economic demands, and Nixon's belligerence in the face of that pivot didn't help matters.When US President Carter stepped into office, however, things improved for a while, and though there were serious bouts of stagflation in both nations through his time in the White House, American investment in Canada increased, and relations continued to be friendly leading into the 1990s, at which point the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA was signed, in 1994. NAFTA created a common market in North America, between the US, Canada, and Mexico, and that meant the $19 trillion or so in trade between the 470 million people or so living in North America by 2014, would be entirely or almost entirely without barriers, no tariffs or very small, focused tariffs.Though imperfect by many measures, NAFTA is generally considered to have been a major success, at least in terms of raw economic productivity in North America. And in 2020, is was replaced by the USMCA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is often called NAFTA 2.0, which is in many ways just a modernization of NAFTA that updates many of the earlier provisions and focuses more on digital trade and intellectual property than its precursor.In July of 2026, however, the US government announced that it would not be renewing the USMCA, after Canada asked the US and Mexico to renew it for another 16 years. The pact remains in effect until it expires in 2036, though it can also be renegotiated or replaced before that. The US Trump administration pointed at rising trade deficits between the US and both Mexico and Canada as the rationale for not renewing it, and at loopholes in the agreement that allowed other nations, like China, to send car components to Mexico and then essentially get Chinese vehicles into North American markets, benefitting from the agreement despite not being a signatory of it.What I'd like to talk about today is a new trade scuffle between the US and Canadian governments, and what it might mean for the two nations in the coming years if said scuffle becomes a more persistent trade war.—In July of 2026, US President Trump threatened to invoke a provision of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, that Act from 1930, the Great Depression, which was previously unused, to impose additional tariffs on Canada, despite the continued existence of the USMCA trade agreement.Stepping back a bit, in his second administration, Trump has unilaterally imposed all kinds of tariffs on pretty much everybody, arguing that those tariffs would bring in more money and thus allow him to lower taxes on the wealthy and on businesses while still bringing in enough to reduce the federal deficit. This claim wasn't backed by economists and the deficit has continued to increase at a record rate under his administration, but he's continued to try this approach and make these claims, regardless.The Supreme Court eventually stepped in to limit Trump's ability to impose tariffs in early 2026, saying that the Presidency doesn't have the power to create a bunch of tariffs and impose them on everyone, even when he points at the International Emergency Economic Powers Act as justification. That halting of Trump's tariffs seem to have helped temper inflation in the US a bit, but now Trump is now taking another approach to try to accomplish the same, invoking this 1930, Great Depression-era act to try to give himself broad tariff-applying powers, once more, despite that Supreme Court decision.As I mentioned in the intro, the application of Smoot-Hawley tariffs worsened the Great Depression, as the US applied all these tariffs on foreign goods to try to give its own industries an advantage, and that led to counter-tariffs from most of its targets. Within a few years, the people behind those tariffs were booted from office, and the bad taste it left in the US government's mouth is part of what led to the wave of trade liberalization that happened post-WWII—everyone was done with the heavily tariffed trade environment because it kind of sucked for everyone, so free trade was the name of the game for decades.Now at the time, even though the tariffs had a net-negative impact on the US, they didn't exactly crush the US because international trade only made up about 10% of the US economy back then. Today, about 25-27% of US GDP relies on international trade. So still not a majority by any means, and the global average is about 63%, so the US is more capable of undertaking this sort of trade barrier strategy than many other nations, but that's still a pretty substantial chunk of economic activity in the US that's impacted by such efforts.This declaration by Trump that he would be using this old Tariff act to apply new tariffs on Canadian goods arrived after trade negotiations between the US and Canada fell apart, reportedly mere minutes before a deadline, with both sides claiming to the press that the other side attempted to make a last-minute change that was untenable.After Trump announced that additional 50% tariff on certain goods, the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announce that he would be matching those tariffs, dollar for dollar—a move that's likely to hurt Canada more than the US, though many US industries, including those that are already hurting because of resource shortages that have been amplified by Trump's war with Iran and the consequent shut-down of the Strait of Hormuz, not to mention all the uncertainties that have arisen because of his other tariff threats, those industries and businesses will suffer more than most; the US auto industry, for instance, relies on goods that pass back and forth across the Canadian border several times before eventually ending up in US-made automobiles. The US construction industry is likewise reliant on Canadian lumber products.It seems like Canada has generally tried to work with the US government to come to a mutually beneficial and appealing compromise, but when that happens, the US then pushes for more, then blames Canada for fighting back when the US attempts to punish them for not just giving in. And this is something the Trump administration, and Trump himself, have become fairly notorious for, so it's a decent assumption, even though we don't know all the details here, yet, that this is what happened in this case, too.And as a result, it sounds like the US will apply 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods coming into the US, including things like honey, seeds, and agricultural products, and some types of furniture, clothing, and fabric.About 72% of all Canadian exports went to the US in 2025, and many of those exports, the ones to which this new tariff will be applied, will now be more expensive, because these costs are almost always passed on to the end-consumer, not just eaten by the business, which in some cases wouldn't be able to afford to eat those higher costs and stay in business. This is part of why these sorts of tariffs often increase inflation rates.Both sides of this conflict have publicly committed to not back down, and there's political hay to be made in sticking with that sentiment; the US is not terribly popular in Canada, or in many allied countries, right now, due to the antagonistic stance the Trump administration has taken toward those relations, so the Canadian government might actually benefit from taking a hard line against the US, here. Likewise, Trump's supporters might rally around his bullying of a neighboring nation, especially if the administration can successfully frame this as an effort to reduce the deficit or support US businesses, protecting them from foreign competitors are are unfairly competing.There's still a fair bit of fog of war on all of this, and we'll know a lot more within the next few weeks, both in terms of the details of what happened, and in terms of what's likely to happen next. Right now, though, it would seem that we could be headed for a new trade war between two of the world's most deeply intertwined wealthy economies, and that could lead to a lot of global economic disruptions as some of that trade is rerouted, and as inflation continues to spiral.Show Noteshttps://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-canada-us-trade-war-293908564c7a381ea58a61db6e9a8517https://apnews.com/article/canada-us-trade-tariffs-trump-857ef76b20a766e370d70176135b678ehttps://apnews.com/article/canada-us-trade-war-trump-carney-tariffs-4d18583fe52134ca8550652ad9772d2chttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/business/economy-trade-war-us-canada.htmlhttps://www.axios.com/2026/02/20/trump-tariffs-supreme-court-illegalhttps://access.heinonline.com/HOL/LandingPagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreementdoi.org/10.1017%2FS0022050700019549https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot%E2%80%93Hawley_Tariff_Acthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%E2%80%93United_States_trade_relationshttps://www.axios.com/2026/08/22/us-canada-tariffs-trade-trump-carneyhttps://www.npr.org/2026/08/22/nx-s1-5941584/us-canada-tariffshttps://apnews.com/article/canada-us-trade-tariffs-trump-857ef76b20a766e370d70176135b678ehttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgvyy4x2mvohttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/world/canada/carney-trump-canada-tariffs.html This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

This is a clip of our latest PATREON EXCLUSIVE episode- if you'd like to hear the full episode along with HUNDREDS of hours of bonus episodes head over to www.patreon.com/keepitweirdpodcast and join our WEIRD club!   Hello fellow NERDS and welcome to A SCIENCE EPISODE!! DJ Jazzy Joe and Mix Master Cass are here for some rhymin' AND some learnin' as we discuss a handful of recent (or recent to us) scientific discoveries, anomalies and mysteries! This time around we're covering some ancient Chinese rock art that may or may not have been painted with bodily fluids (it was) some more mystery DNA found in our bones, a strange gravitational hole in Antarctica, the fact that there is ONE BILLION YEARS of data deleted from our rock record with only guesses as to where it went and what happened during that time, the mystery of static electricity and of course... more Orca behavior. (links below!) Thank you SO MUCH for donating to the show! As you can tell we are starting to get real serious about these Patreon episodes and they will now all be an hour or so long and JUST LIKE the main feed episodes. In fact next month Amy and I are recording some scary stories with sound effects and music and the whole shebang! So don't go anywhere, we've got some real spooky treats coming up. Next Monday August 31st Lauren and I will have a WEIRD REPORT on the main feed and then it's SEPTEMBER BABY! Thats basically OCTOBER EVE!! What are our Halloween plans? Are our costumes already picked out? Have you bought any new decor this year? Tell me everything. Love you all, KEEP IT WEIRD! -//

Joe's Premium Subscription: www.standardgrain.comGrain Markets and Other Stuff Links —Apple PodcastsSpotifyTikTokYouTubeFutures and options trading involves risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone.

Hour 3 (8.24) Malibu's ten new speed cameras start issuing warnings in late September and real citations in late November — 11 mph over is all it takes. Plus two street takeovers in two hours, and a robot that ran a 9.32 hundred. 8:05 — Sunday night, a crowd of about 100 gathered for a street takeover on Whittier Boulevard in Boyle Heights while burglars cut into Lorena Pharmacy with a saw and walked out with baskets of merchandise. Fifteen minutes later and less than two miles away, masked suspects walked two cash registers out of a Jack in the Box in East LA. No arrests. Also: Conway's case for fries as a taco heat-warmer, and the Conway Show sandal line Angel still refuses to greenlight. 8:20 — Halloween season is close enough to smell, and the LA Haunted Hayride is the ex-Clear Channel executive success story nobody talks about. Melissa Carbone walked into Shark Tank's fifth season in 2013 and walked out with the biggest investment in the show's history to that point — Mark Cuban, $2 million for 20 percent. Plus a Chinese humanoid called Lightning that ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds. 8:35 — Ten automated cameras on Malibu's 21-mile stretch of PCH, using lidar to flag anyone doing at least 11 over. Warnings start in late September, citations in late November — civil penalties, no license points, no insurance hit. More than 60 people have been killed on that stretch since 2010. Sorry, Ashley Mackie. 8:50 — Conway responds to YouTuber Nick Shirley's videos claiming widespread fraud against California welfare and health programs — what he's actually shown, what the state says, and where the number came from. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“More Chinese companies are put out of business by other Chinese companies. Chinese companies are not put out of business because of Western companies, so this whole competition is not, from a Chinese guy's mind, like a US-China competition. It's more ‘how do I survive this gym?' because it's damn hard to keep staying alive at home. That in turn makes you very competitive in the rest of the world.”Maura Fogarty speaks to Joe Ngai, Chairman of the China region for global consulting firm McKinsey.He advises senior management at Chinese and multinational corporations in the region which gives him a unique insight into the world's second-largest economy.Having written numerous books and reports on China's economic landscape, Ngai's expertise has been recognised by accolades from the likes of Forbes China and Bloomberg.In this interview, we hear his thoughts about how the Chinese market has changed in the 25 years since the country joined the World Trade Organisation, and on how AI is developing and managing tensions with US competitors.Thank you to the Asia Business team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with tech billionaire Reid Hoffman, director Chloé Zhao, and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, head of the World Trade Organisation. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Maura Fogarty Producers: Ben Cooper and Jaltson Akkanath Chummar Editor: Damon RoseGet in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Joe Ngai. Credit: Getty)

聊中西文化，也聊很多东西！ 第八十五期，不好意思我又来迟了。这次是最近看的几部电影的观后感，《功夫女足》、《给阿嬷的情书》和《群星闪耀时》你们看过吗？想知道你们喜欢的电影，以及对中国电影的展望。   00:00 聊世界杯和《功夫女足》 08:30 《给阿嬷的情书》 14:00 《群星闪耀时》 17:30 中国电影展望   欢迎给我们来信： ttmiChinese@gmail.com Have online class with Candice, please email candicex2018@gmail.com YouTube: Candice X Chinese Mandarin Instagram: CandiceXMandarin2022 免费学习资料 Free study materials please visit Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/candicex PDF full script for episode 85: https://www.patreon.com/candicex/posts/085-stephen-chow-167628506 Video with full subtitles for episode 85: coming soon

The Trump administration widened its economic pressure campaign against Iran Monday, launching Operation Economic Outcast. The Treasury put Tehran's global enablers on notice, including a warning that could hit Chinese banks. President Donald Trump also announced he will impose a new 50 percent tariff on all Canadian cars and trucks starting on Jan. 1, 2027.The administration issued a new plan to charge more than $100,000 for new H-1B visas for foreign workers. It's a measure that builds off Trump's temporary fee that was first imposed last year and was set to expire in September.A fast-moving wildfire continues to threaten communities in northwest Reno, Nevada. Thousands of residents are under evacuation orders or warnings as crews battle the human-caused blaze.

S&P futures are pointing to a slightly higher open. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan all saw solid gains led by tech recoveries, while Australia's ASX outperformed on the back of strong corporate updates. Semiconductor stocks remained under pressure, driven by Monday's selloff in the SOX index. China recovered slightly despite uncertainty arising from reports of tariff increase on Chinese import goods. European markets are reacting to upgraded GDP figures out of Germany while shrugging off ongoing global trade disputes and AI sector volatility. Companies Mentioned: Meta, Warner Bros. Discovery

In this special episode of Takeaway Chinese, we're going to learn how to say "sunset glow" in Chinese.

NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - Chinese News at 15:10 (JST), August 25

The U.S. military needs more drones, and it needs to build them without Chinese parts. Today, Defense Innovation Unit Deputy Director Travis Metz joins School of War to discuss how America can build drones quickly, cheaply, and on U.S. soil; what America can learn from Ukraine's drone war; and the Pentagon's new billion-dollar effort to upgrade its aging military technology. 2:23 - Why America Is Behind on Drones 4:32 - The Drone Dominance Program 6:51 - Breaking Dependence on China 10:23 - The Different Types of Drones 13:34 - Ukraine's Mid-Range Strike Revolution 16:00 - Cheap Drones at Long Range 18:47 - AI, Autonomy, and Electronic Warfare 21:47 - How Drone Dominance Works 24:33 - Building an American Drone Industry 33:55 - Lessons From Fort Benning 39:19 - Cheap and Expendable Drones 42:01 - Testing Drones for Different Missions 50:14 - The Next Phase of Drone Dominance 55:09 - How Many Drones Does America Need? 1:02:49 - Recreating Ukraine's Innovation Cycle This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony P canceled Friday's show blaming “bad WiFi” from a giant Atlantic City hotel… then finally spilled the real disaster: five-hour drive through tornadoes, a mid set, his wife kidnapping the dog (his opener), and going full Chevy Chase in Vegas Vacation at the tables until the ATM cried. Opie gives him the old-fashioned beating he earned, then the boys spiral into the dumbest (and funniest) hour:Why America is about to lose its nightcrawlers, tongue depressors, and “good dirt” in the Canada trade warThe dead-dog-in-a-box Free Bird tribute that will either crush or get Tony banned from every casinoThe serious medical debate over sunning your butthole (and whether picturing it makes you gay)Mosquitoes that somehow find the pubis through sweatpants$4.50 plain slices, clam-pie trauma, and Chinese robots that beat Usain Bolt… then just keep runningPure unfiltered chaos with Opie and Tony P. Press play before Canada cuts off the worms. Opie keeping the old Opie and Anthony vibe going.About Opie Unfiltered:Hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes—co-creator of the legendary Opie and Anthony show—Opie Unfiltered brings raw, unscripted commentary, classic radio lore, and unfiltered comedy featuring Ron the Waiter and regular guests.​Support the Show:https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/JANCGHFW7GJHA​For fans of classic New York talk radio, unedited comedy, satellite broadcast history, and the original Opie and Anthony era.

Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast save $15 on Dopey con tix Dopeycon Tickets: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Summary:  Episode summary Dave checks in from California with Jeremy for a conversation about modern weed, absurdly powerful dispensary products, Jeremy's torn Achilles, the Knicks championship and Dave's potentially revolutionary Katz's “Karubin.” Then Dopey replays Episode 43 with author and Refuge Recovery founder Noah Levine. Noah talks about growing up around Buddhism, trauma and drugs; taking mushrooms at ten; becoming addicted as a teenager; attempting suicide in juvenile hall; and discovering meditation while locked inside a padded cell. Chris wrestles with psychedelics in sobriety, prepares for a ten-day silent meditation retreat and asks whether it's possible to mindfully shoot heroin. Noah also delivers an all-time Dopey story involving cocaine, stolen Rolexes, a brakeless car, an e-brake turn in the rain and a burning getaway vehicle. Afterward, Dave and Chris discuss fallen spiritual teachers, sex, hypocrisy and abusing positions of power. They finish with a listener's insane story about introducing a Chinese exchange student to the “American tradition” of buying heroin—and accidentally abandoning him at Outback Steakhouse. AND MORE!!!!! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Meta faces a $1.4 trillion lawsuit, flock cameras are sparking a privacy revolt, and data centers may be fueling the next bubble. This episode pulls back the curtain on who's watching, who's profiting, and who could pay the price. Meta's Big Reckoning Is Here Meta heads to court in a landmark trial about kids and social media addiction Ninth Circuit Ruling Will Force Online Platforms That Host User Speech to Fight Lengthy and Costly Lawsuits Before They Are Dismissed Under Section 230 The $1.4 Trillion State Tort Raid on Meta Google's Pixel 11 Comes With Plenty of A.I. Does Anyone Want That? Waymo's cheaper, next-gen robotaxi is now open to all riders in these three cities Apple and European Commission Reach Agreement on App Payment Terms Under DMA, With Apple Conceding Very Little Apple is laying off staffers working on the Vision Pro and Siri Hidden Airtag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI Amazon aims for delivery drones to reach 500 US neighborhoods by the end of 2026 NVIDIA to Back Ohio Data Center With as Much as $105 Billion Why Big Tech's AI Spending Is $3 Trillion Higher Than It Seems New Chinese model adds to AI competition Police Are Hiding Their Use of Flock Surveillance Cameras Flock mistakenly flags 2 different auto writers for "stolen" license plates Go Flock Yourself Flock socks for UV protection Ban on Chinese robots leaves U.S. startups stranded China Is Strapping 'Digital Bombs' to Civilian Infrastructure—Is the US Ready? Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Sam Abuelsamid and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: superhuman.com claude.ai/technology doppel.com joinbilt.com/twit adaptivesecurity.com

Get 60 days free at https://www.shipstation.com with code jumpers Jump in with Carlos Juico, Gavin Ruta, Mack Mah and Samir on episode 301 of Jumpers Jump. This episode we discuss: Guy privilege in the club, Japan clubbing story, Attraction theories, Sleep paralysis, Lucid dreams, Chinese sleeping superstitions, Hayden Panettiere theory, Coke drink is demonic, Manifestation stories, Beauty magic, Alter ego theory, Astral projection, Prophetic dream that saved a life, Obsession gingerbread man similarities, Being parasocial in this generation, Value of your word, Naming your friends kid, Cancel culture, Parents taking risks, Looking at yourself in the mirror for an hour, Eyes attraction theory, Cloning, Manager method at the club, Exposure theory, and much more! Follow the podcast: @JumpersPodcast Follow Carlos: @CarlosJuico Follow Gavin: @GavinRutaa Check out the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/JumpersJumpYT⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this throwback to the early days of our podcast we cover a SELECT REBROADCAST. In crypids in the news and other oddities, KJ reviews all of the crazy stuff in the news around Chinese spy balloons over the United States. Bill covers a creepy Bigfoot encounter during a family hiking and camping trip near Olive Lake in Oregon. And some great listener mail. Please join us! Thank you for listening! www.bigfootterrorinthewoods.com Produced by: "Bigfoot Terror in the Woods L.L.C."

-Newsmax Hotline guest Gordon G. Chang joins Rob for an extended tour of the China threat, warning about rising tensions over Taiwan, Chinese banks facilitating Iranian transactions, alleged Chinese Communist Party connections to Neville Roy Singham, anti-data-center activism, China's economic pressure on American manufacturing and Chinese-linked programs in U.S. schools. Chang says Xi Jinping may see an opportunity while U.S. military assets are focused on the Middle East — although he believes China's military still isn't ready for an invasion of Taiwan. Basically, Gordon arrives for one segment and gives Rob enough China material for another three hours. Today's podcast is sponsored by : GHOSTBED - I used to think a mattress was just furniture, until I got my GhostBed! GhostBed is offering my audience their lowest prices of the season, plus an extra 10% off. Go to http://GhostBed.com/CARSON and use promo code CARSON RELIEF FACTOR - You don't need to live with aches & pains! Reduce muscle & joint inflammation and live a pain-free life by visiting http://ReliefFactor.com  To call in and speak with Rob Carson live on the show, dial 1-800-922-6680 between the hours of 12 Noon and 3:00 pm Eastern Time Monday through Friday… Musical parodies provided by Jim Gossett (http://patreon.com/JimGossettComedy) You can now WATCH and chat with The Rob Carson Show LIVE on Newsmax's social media channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Rumble) Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at http://Newsmax.com/Podcasts Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at http://NewsmaxPlus.com Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : http://nws.mx/shop Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:  -Facebook: http://nws.mx/FB  -X/Twitter: http://nws.mx/twitter -Instagram: http://nws.mx/IG -YouTube: https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV -Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV -TRUTH Social: https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX -GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/newsmax -Threads: http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX  -Telegram: http://t.me/newsmax  -BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com -Parler: http://app.parler.com/newsmax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tina Cheng Craig — co-founder of U Beauty and one of the most joyful people in the wellness and beauty world — returns to The Art of Being Well in person for her first in-studio conversation with Dr. Will Cole. Tina breaks down U Beauty's Siren Capsule Technology (recently peer-reviewed in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology), explains the Four Cs skincare protocol, introduces the brand new Barrier Bioactive Serum Mist launching at Sephora, and shares the Chinese ancestral wisdom she grew up with — from cold water on the face to snow fungus and bitter gourd — that Western science is only now beginning to understand. Plus: Ozempic face, intermittent fasting for women, micro-moment exercise, and the Year of the Fire Horse. For all links mentioned in this episode, visit www.drwillcole.com/podcast.Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.Sponsors:Visit coyuchi.com/beingwell for 15% off your first purchase of the most comfortable bedding you'll ever own (exclusions apply)!Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ABW and use promo code ABW at checkout.Use code WILLCOLE at puori.com/WILLCOLE to get 32% off your first Puori Grass-fed Whey Protein order when you start a subscription.Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code WILLCOLE for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/WILLCOLE.Use the links in my show notes to check your registration, get registered, or receive election reminders. You can also visit vote.online or @vote on Instagram for more information.Check Your Registration - https://tools.vote.online/embeds/check-your-registration?partnerId=cbc1e590 Get Election Reminders - https://tools.vote.online/embeds/get-election-reminders?partnerId=cbc1e590 Register To Vote - https://tools.vote.online/embeds/register-to-vote?partnerId=cbc1e590 Pledge To Register - https://tools.vote.online/embeds/pledge-to-register?partnerId=cbc1e590Produced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ben Maller talks about Deshaun Watson saying Browns fans were "disrespectful" when they booed him, if Todd Monken is really going to ignore Deshaun Watson's comments, a Chinese robot beating Usain Bolt's world-record in the 100 meter dash, Maller Militia Feud, and more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watch every episode ad-free & uncensored on Patreon: https://patreon.com/dannyjones Professor Jiang (Xueqin Jiang) is a teacher in China who has a popular YouTube channel @PredictiveHistory that covers philosophy, politics, education, and geopolitical forecasting. SPONSORS https://hims.com/danny - Get simple online access to personalized & affordable care for hair loss, ED, weight loss, and more. https://quo.com/danny - Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months. https://irestore.com/djp - Use code DJP to unlock your best hair, skin, & body plus HUGE savings. https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/zralgyl0 - Download Cash App today. https://whiterabbitenergy.com/?ref=DJP - Use code DJP for 20% off. EPISODE LINKS Professor Jiang's channel:  @PredictiveHistory Substack: https://substack.com/@predictivehistory *NEW* DJP MERCH https://dannyjonespodcast.com FOLLOW DANNY JONES https://www.instagram.com/dannyjones https://twitter.com/jonesdanny OUTLINE 00:00 - Danny confronts Jiang on being CCP spy 05:06 - Why Chinese people are so good at math 10:15 - The video that made Professor Jiang viral 13:44 - WeChat, the Chinese super-app 17:31 - Misconceptions about life in China 19:35 - China's one-child policy 25:40 - Raising kids in U.S. vs. China 29:49 - American food is poisonous 32:00 - Apple's Chinese factories are like prisons 35:38 - Chinese launders money for Mexican cartels 42:09 - How Xi Jinping and the CCP came to power 49:10 - Importance of the "Creative Class" in a global economy 56:02 - The most sensitive topic in China right now 57:37 - Xi Jinping is losing control of China 01:05:27 - The China-Taiwan dilemma 01:14:34 - Japan's Quad alliance 01:17:02 - China is in a lot of danger 01:18:38 - The Chabad-Lubavitch movement 01:19:27 - The Clean Break Memo 01:24:21 - The Jackson-Vanik amendment 01:28:43 - Henry "Scoop" Jackson & Rebbe Schneerson 01:35:36 - Most powerful Zionist in American history 01:43:37 - Rebbe Schneerson meets Netanyahu 01:50:46 - How Mark Zuckerberg REALLY made his money 01:56:23 - Mark Zuckerberg's connection to Rebbe Schneerson 02:05:59 - Kushner family's connection to Netanyahu & Trump 02:13:20 - Rebbe Schneerson & mysteries of the Bible 02:21:25 - Kabbalists believe the Holocaust was God's punishment 02:27:31 - Building the Third Temple in Jerusalem 02:35:31 - Natalie Harp believes Trump is Jesus 02:38:00 - Gog & Magog 02:42:59 - Laura Loomer's meeting with Ukraine's Chabad rabbi 02:46:15 - Why Trump invaded Iran 02:52:59 - The Iran & Ukraine wars are about to merge 02:59:35 - The Japanese yen carry trade 03:05:22 - American general's confession about foreign invasion 03:10:41 - How Trump gets a 3rd term 03:18:01 - Butler assassination attempt was a "ritual" 03:24:10 - Rothschilds' connection to religious elites 03:35:43 - Strangest details about Jeffrey Epstein 03:45:35 - The redacted Epstein files around 9/11 03:51:50 - History is about to repeat on free speech 03:55:25 - Jiang's 10-year prediction Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last time we spoke about the reaction after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. After four years of fighting Japan almost alone, China's Chiang Kai-shek learned of Pearl Harbor with profound relief. Japan's attack, meant to neutralize American naval power, instead galvanized the entire Western world against Tokyo. Within hours, Chiang declared war on the Axis powers, transforming China from an isolated nation to a recognized Allied member. The strategic mathematics were clear to Chiang: America's industrial might would ultimately crush Japan. China simply needed to survive long enough. The United States quickly formalized this partnership, pledging military support through Lend-Lease and elevating Chiang to leadership of Allied forces in the China theater. Yet Pearl Harbor brought catastrophe for Western civilians in China. Americans and Britons, previously protected as neutral foreigners, were suddenly rounded up and interned in camps. For many, decades of presence in China ended in hasty evacuation, leaving behind lives built over generations.   #216 The Battle of Hong Kong Part 1: The Approaching Storm Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Japan emerged as a significant threat to British interests during the 1920s following the collapse of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. This concern intensified dramatically after Japan's invasion of China, with the ensuing Sino-Japanese War escalating tensions further. British assets in the region came under direct assault, including attacks on Western military and commercial vessels such as HMS Ladybird. Yet despite these provocations, the British Government maintained an inconsistent stance toward Japan, responding with only feeble diplomatic and military countermeasures. This contradiction characterized London's approach: while diplomatic channels remained conciliatory, military planners viewed Japan with genuine apprehension. During the 1930s, Singapore and Malaya represented Britain's most valuable and prosperous holdings in the Far East and consequently received substantial garrison reinforcements. By contrast, Hong Kong was widely acknowledged to be indefensible—a conclusion reached repeatedly by successive military studies. Despite this consensus, the British Government proceeded with the Hong Kong Defence Scheme in 1936, which aimed to transform Hong Kong Island into a fortified redoubt while establishing delaying positions in Kowloon and the New Territories. The Hong Kong Garrison's mandate was straightforward: repel external attacks and prevent enemy use of the harbour and dry dock. The underlying strategy relied on a simple principle: hold Hong Kong Island as an impregnable fortress and await relief from the Royal Navy. Consequently, protecting the harbour became the paramount objective. Japanese strategists were correctly identified as Hong Kong's primary threat, with military planners anticipating attack from the sea rather than overland. To counter such an offensive, the defence scheme incorporated five successive layers of protection: naval mines fitted with indicator nets and anti-submarine booms formed the first barrier; coastal artillery provided the second; beach installations featuring pillboxes, wire entanglements and mines constituted the third; infantry strongpoints positioned on commanding heights guarded against amphibious landings; and finally, a mobile reserve force stood ready to counterattack and eliminate any successful enemy incursion. The 1936 plan also mandated extensive fortification of Kowloon's bottleneck approaches through bunkers, trenches and blocked passages, with a principal defensive line—resembling a miniature Maginot Line—constructed across the mountains immediately north of Kowloon. The garrison structure comprised three infantry battalions plus the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC), a unit approximately regiment-strength equipped with armoured cars, engineers, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and infantry. These forces organized into three brigades: mainland, island, and garrison reserve. The air component was planned to be formidable: a reconnaissance squadron, a fighter-bomber squadron, two torpedo squadrons and a flight of auxiliary spotting aircraft operated by the HKVDC. Naval forces consisted of a modest destroyer contingent, an MTB flotilla, gunboats and patrol vessels. When Japan occupied Guangzhou, Hong Kong found itself effectively encircled. In response, limited conscription was implemented, though restricted to non-Chinese males for HKVDC service. Chinese personnel were largely confined to non-combat positions such as air-raid precautions and medical duties. The expanding Japanese threat prompted a substantial expansion of the Hong Kong Garrison to four regular infantry regiments—two British units (one specializing in medium machine-gun support) and two Indian regiments. Supporting forces included two coastal artillery regiments, a field artillery regiment-plus, and an anti-aircraft regiment. The Royal Navy expanded to include the 2nd MTB flotilla (eight 60-foot, 29-knot motor torpedo boats armed with twin torpedoes and eight Lewis guns each, plus two smaller 55-foot vessels), four shallow-draught river gunboats (HMS Cicala, Tern, Moth and Robin), four aging World War I S-class destroyers (HMS Thracian, Thanet, Scout and Tenedos—the last transferred to Singapore in 1939), HMS Cornflower sloop, and various auxiliary vessels including tugs, boom defence ships and minelayers. The Fleet Air Arm deployed three Supermarine Walruses—single-engine reconnaissance amphibians—at Kai Tak Airport. The Royal Air Force remained the weakest service, equipped with only four Vickers Wildebeest torpedo-bombers and a handful of HKVDC aircraft: one Avro Tutor, two Hornet Moths and two Cadet biplanes. When World War II erupted in Europe, Britain's focus necessarily shifted to national survival, inevitably leaving distant imperial outposts like Hong Kong neglected. Rather than receive reinforcements, Hong Kong actually lost capable personnel; many veteran troops were repatriated to Europe, leaving behind a less proficient garrison. Peacetime duties had proven a poor preparation for combat—officers and men had passed their time socializing rather than maintaining combat readiness. Governor Sir Geoffrey Northcote persistently urged London to adopt a firmer stance against relentless Japanese provocations: aircraft incursions, sinking of junks and fishing vessels, and infiltration by Taiwanese fifth columnists (Japan had colonized Taiwan in 1895). Recognizing the hopelessness of his position, Northcote recommended withdrawal in October 1940, arguing that defending the colony would inevitably result in mass civilian casualties and widespread destruction—a pragmatic assessment given Hong Kong's indefensible state. London categorically rejected this proposal, reasoning that withdrawal would demoralize China, embolden Japan and undermine American confidence in British resolve. Underlying this decision was an additional consideration: the long-standing dispute over Hong Kong's sovereignty. Since Britain acquired Hong Kong in 1841, the prospect of surrendering it, even temporarily, raised fears about reclaiming it afterward. Preserving the appearance of British determination was deemed crucial to demonstrating to Chiang Kai-shek, Nationalist China's leader, that Britain intended to retain the territory. Despite these political calculations, London consistently refused fresh troop deployments. Major-General A. E. Grasett, the China theatre commander, requested reinforcements only to face rejection—London offered only Indian or other colonial forces. Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, appointed British commander in the Far East in 1941, likewise pressed for garrison strengthening, to no avail. The situation shifted dramatically after Grasett, a retired Canadian who had recently left his China post, travelled to Britain via Canada. Upon arriving in Canada, he independently approached his former classmate Major-General Crerar, Chief of the Canadian General Staff, and advocated for reinforcement. Grasett argued persuasively that deploying two or more additional battalions would enable the Hong Kong garrison to withstand an extended siege. When Grasett reached London in early September 1941, he presented this case directly to the British Chiefs of Staff, simultaneously proposing that Canada could provide the extra units. His arguments proved persuasive; the Chiefs of Staff altered course and convinced a reluctant Churchill to reconsider. In light of accelerating Japanese pressure, Britain substantially enlarged the Malaysia/Singapore garrison from nine to 32 battalions and despatched two capital ships—HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse—to the region, reasoning that this show of force would deter Japanese aggression against British Far Eastern interests, including Hong Kong. The original defence strategy envisaged holding Hong Kong Island exclusively while denying the harbour to attackers. A single battalion (the Punjabis) would execute delaying actions across the New Territories, followed by a three-battalion defensive stand on the Gin Drinkers Line. This brief mainland resistance would allow time for demolishing stores, power installations, docks and wharves, clearing food stocks and removing vital matériel before withdrawing to Hong Kong Island for a protracted resistance awaiting relief from Singapore or American forces from the Philippines. The Gin Drinkers Line—styled after the French Maginot Line in miniature—ran approximately 18 kilometres south of the Sino-Hong Kong border. Beginning near Gin Drinkers Bay west of Kowloon, it extended 17 kilometres across the Kowloon Peninsula hills toward its eastern extremity. The strategic expectation was that this line would delay the Japanese assault for three weeks or longer, permitting battalion withdrawal to Hong Kong Island for sustained resistance while mainland forces completed evacuation procedures. The 1937 war plan stipulated that four battalions would be necessary for an effective delaying action and seven for an adequate Gin Drinkers Line defence—figures which excluded the aircraft and naval support essential to success. With only a single army brigade available and virtually no air capability, planners abandoned the mainland defence concept, leaving defensive works incomplete and deteriorating under tropical conditions. Chinese personnel were conspicuously absent from initial war preparations and strategic planning, only being incorporated late in the process. The largest Chinese component was the volunteer contingent serving with the HKVDC. On the regular army side, approximately 150 Chinese recruits were enlisted in mid-1941 for the 5th Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The Hong Kong Chinese Regiment, hastily constituted on 3 November 1941, comprised officers borrowed from British and Indian units alongside 52 Chinese junior NCOs and other ranks with minimal training. A Royal Engineers troop staffed entirely by Chinese soldiers saw service, and some Chinese personnel served with the Royal Navy and Dockyard Defence Corps. Chinese participation increased substantially in auxiliary services—air-raid precautions, auxiliary police, nursing, St John Ambulance and fire brigades. This reluctance to fully integrate Chinese forces likely reflected prevailing attitudes of the era. Pre-war British propaganda had frequently mocked Japanese military capability, portraying officers and soldiers as myopic and incompetent. Japanese combat prowess was systematically underestimated; their victories in China were attributed to facing inferior opposition rather than evidence of genuine military strength. Japanese weaponry was dismissed as inferior to European standards. Consequently, British confidence remained high that the colony could hold indefinitely if adequately reinforced. In September 1941, Hong Kong received heartening news: two additional Canadian battalions would be deployed to the garrison. Brigadier John Maltby promptly revived the pre-war plan for defending the Gin Drinkers Line, developing a strategy centred on three mainland battalions (2nd Royal Scots, 5/7 Rajputs and 2/14 Punjab) supported by HKVDC elements and four artillery troop detachments, while three island battalions (1st Middlesex, Royal Rifles of Canada and Winnipeg Grenadiers) bolstered by the bulk of the HKVDC would hold Hong Kong Island. Command responsibility was divided between two brigades: the Island Brigade (Hong Kong Infantry Brigade) under Brigadier Lawson, a recently arrived Canadian, and the mainland Kowloon Infantry Brigade under Brigadier Wallis. The Canadian regiments arrived on 16 November 1941. Maltby was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1911, and  saw extensive service across multiple campaigns: World War I, the Persian Gulf (1913–14), and the North-West Frontier (1923–24). His early promise earned him selection for accelerated advancement through prestigious staff colleges at Quetta and RAF Andover. By 1937, he was again serving on the North-West Frontier, and by 1939 commanded both the 3rd Jhelum Brigade (later the Calcutta Brigade) and the 19th Infantry Brigade in Deccan. In 1940, posted to China, Maltby orchestrated the closure of the North China Command by withdrawing two infantry battalions from Shanghai. Promoted to major-general as GOC China in August 1941, he had only three months to prepare the colony's defenses, a race against time he could not win.  The Gin Drinkers Line occupied a naturally dominant position atop mountains spanning northern Kowloon's breadth, yet possessed inherent weaknesses that would prove fatal. The line lacked defensive depth and remained vulnerable to flanking manoeuvres, with two sectors representing particular danger: Customs Pass and the gap between Golden Hill and Laichikok Peninsula near Gin Drinkers Bay. Given the extended front, each battalion arranged its forces in a string of platoon positions with gaps covered by daytime fire and nighttime patrols. One company per battalion could be held in reserve within prepared positions guarding the most dangerous sectors. The reserve company of the centre battalion (2/14 Punjab) initially advanced as forward troops, screening demolition operations and delaying the enemy's initial thrust. The hasty decision to establish mainland defences meant that essential support systems—communication networks, artillery registrations, mortar calibrations—remained incomplete when combat commenced. Ammunition shortages compounded the problem. For instance, the 2/14 Punjab conducted only a single 3-inch mortar practice session before the attack; adequate ammunition arrived only in November and totalled a mere 70 rounds per battalion for both training and combat. These mortars were registered for the first time in their battle positions, with combat beginning just 12 hours later. The 2-inch mortar situation was even more desperate: troops received live ammunition only as fighting started, making their baptism of fire an actual combat situation. Transportation deficiencies—trucks and animals in short supply—forced manual ammunition transport across Hong Kong's challenging terrain, imposing severe physical demands on already stretched personnel.   On 6 November 1941, Imperial Japanese Headquarters ordered its Commander-in-Chief in China to prepare plans for capturing Hong Kong. The 23rd Army, part of the China Southern Expeditionary Army Group and commanded by Lt. Gen. Sakai Takashi with Maj. Gen. Kuribayashi Tadamichi serving as Chief of Staff, would form the invasion's backbone. All preparations were to be completed by the end of November 1941. The operation, designated 'Operation C', sought to 'seize Hong Kong within ten days'. Takahashi was the son of a factory worker, and rose through the ranks to become a veteran of China campaigns. He was tasked with capturing Hong Kong using the 38th Division normally assigned to the Southern Expeditionary Army Group. Despite setbacks and humiliation over requests for additional resources—particularly following intelligence reports of tanks (actually Bren carriers) in Hong Kong—Sakai remained determined to succeed. He served as Governor of Hong Kong from 26 December 1941 to 20 February 1942. Kuribayashi, best remembered as the Japanese commander at Iwo Jima, graduated from the Army Academy in 1914 specializing in cavalry. He served as deputy military attaché to Washington and Canada and studied at Harvard University. In December 1941, he held the position of Chief of Staff to the 23rd Army during the Hong Kong operation. Operation C followed a straightforward strategic framework. A blocking force would prevent Chinese interference from the rear, while the main invasion force would spearhead the assault. The 23rd Army, comprising four divisions plus a mixed brigade and two infantry regiments, received the assignment to attack Hong Kong. Of these four divisions, only the 38th played a substantive role in the invasion itself. The attack employed a combined-arms approach. Naval forces would establish a blockade and deliver bombardment while aircraft targeted key installations. Ground forces from the 38th Division—specifically the 228th, 229th, and 230th Regiments—would execute the land invasion using a three-pronged strategy. The right column would sweep westward in a wide arc, clearing Castle Peak Road and targeting the western flank of the Gin Drinkers Line near Laichikok Peninsula. The centre force would press directly through the line's middle, while the left column would cross Tidal Cove (Tolo Harbour) toward Kai Tak Airport and eastward toward Devil Peak, a crucial defensive position. The objective was to annihilate British forces on the mainland and compel Hong Kong's surrender through sustained bombardment. Should British forces resist, the island phase of the campaign would commence. Securing the rear against the Chinese National Army of the 7th Military District and Communist guerrillas fell to the 66th Regiment, normally part of the 51st Division but attached to the 38th for this operation. The 66th would simultaneously occupy and secure rear areas throughout the New Territories and Kowloon while the three assault regiments engaged the main defensive forces. This rearguard operation was organised into columns named after their commanding officers: Kitazawa, Kobayashi, Sato, and Araki. The Japanese selected the narrowest approach between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, targeting the eastern coast near Lyemun Passage where only 410 metres of water separated the mainland from the island. Upon landing, forces would rapidly advance inland to seize the critical junction of Wongneichong Gap, then pivot westward and southward to capture Victoria City and the remainder of Hong Kong. The naval contingent divided into two groups: the Bombardment Group and the Attack Group. Approximately 300 personnel from the Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) were attached to the invasion force. Air support came from the First Air Brigade under Col. Habu Hideharu, which contributed 56 light bombers and fighters. Their mission was to neutralise the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, thereby securing aerial and maritime superiority for the ground campaign.   On the eve of war, the British garrison numbered 13,981 all ranks, including nursing staff and St John Ambulance personnel. Of these, 8,919 were British and Canadian, with 4,402 Indian and Chinese. The core infantry force comprised 5,422 regular soldiers, complemented by approximately 6,000 additional personnel across artillery, engineering, naval, and Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC) units. By 1941, the Royal Navy had become a shadow of its former self as the once-dominant China Squadron. Of the three World War I destroyers present on 8 December, two had been sent to Singapore—the third undergoing repairs—by 1930. This redeployment stemmed partly from the futility of defending the colony and partly from a commitment by senior US Navy officers: Britain would reinforce Singapore with Hong Kong's fleet in exchange for four American destroyers at Singapore. This American guarantee, however, never materialized. The defensive infrastructure focused primarily on countering a seaborne attack: twenty-nine coastal guns (9.2in., 6in., 4.7in., and 4in. calibres), ten 18- and 2-pounder beach defense guns, and twenty-eight field guns (60-pounder, 6in., 4.5in., and 3.7in. calibres). The Hong Kong Garrison's infantry comprised four regular army battalions—two British and two Indian—bolstered by five HKVDC infantry companies, each averaging 100 men. The 1st Middlesex Regiment, deployed in August 1937, served as a machine-gun battalion equipped with forty-eight Vickers medium machine guns. Having been abroad since 1931, the regiment had deteriorated through protracted garrison service, Hong Kong being among the softest postings available. From September 1939 onward, all regiments—including the 5/7 Rajputs (arrived June 1937) and the 2/14 Punjab—experienced systematic loss of experienced officers and NCOs to other theaters. The Royal Scots proved particularly hard hit, suffering disciplinary problems and an unusually high court-martial rate. Units like the Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery suffered critical leadership gaps that went unaddressed. By December 1941, many formations fielded inexperienced replacement troops, significantly undermining combat readiness. The Punjabis exemplified these deficiencies. Stationed in Hong Kong since November 1940, they received their vehicles and mortars only in August 1941—three months before combat. Compounding this, forty percent of their strength consisted of raw recruits arrived just in October. When war erupted, artillery regiments found themselves relying on junior officers in senior roles, with British commanders unfamiliar with Urdu directing Indian troops, a handicap that severely compromised effectiveness. Deficient equipment compounded leadership shortages. Shells dating from 1918 detonated prematurely upon discharge, while ammunition shortages crippled operations. On 8 December, all field guns deployed with merely 100 rounds apiece, with 200 rounds held in reserve for the entire campaign, and coastal guns received only 25 rounds each. Insufficient cross-training meant many infantrymen failed to understand the artillery "clock face" targeting system, causing them to miss their objectives. Malaria devastated European troops, particularly the Royal Scots. Of approximately 770 personnel, at least 180 suffered recurring malarial episodes from the Shing Mun Redoubt area's notoriously endemic conditions. Staff shortages forced nearly every unit to promote junior officers to positions beyond their rank, exacerbating structural weaknesses. Although the Canadians' arrival bolstered the garrison, significant handicaps undermined their effectiveness. Both battalions carried a C-class designation—deemed unfit for foreign service—having spent years in soft garrison postings without rigorous training. The deficit was stark: each Canadian soldier received only thirty-five rifle practice rounds. The two battalions incorporated 115 men with fewer than sixteen weeks' training, while sixty-two of seventy-five recruits joining the Winnipeg Grenadiers in June came directly from a training depot lacking even basic rifles. Twelve percent of the Canadian force remained untrained. Equipment deficiencies proved even more damaging. A standard 1941 Canadian infantry battalion required 102 motor vehicles—including twenty-two Universal Carriers, thirty-seven ¾-ton trucks, thirteen 1-ton trucks, thirty-one bicycles, and twenty-two Boys anti-tank rifles. When the Canadians landed, logistical failures left them with only six Bren carriers, two water tankers, twelve ¾-ton trucks, and a single Boys anti-tank rifle. Although they carried 3in. mortars, neither ammunition nor radios accompanied them. Canada possessed only 300 3-inch mortar bombs in its entire inventory at that time, making any allocation to Hong Kong impossible. A second vessel, the SS Don Jose, was dispatched with replacement vehicles and equipment but never reached Hong Kong before 8 December. The Japanese seized it en route to Manila. Despite these shortcomings, the force departed on 27 October with 1,975 men and arrived on 16 November. Intelligence estimates regarding Japanese available forces varied widely, ranging from two to four divisions. On 6 December evening, Chinese reports confirmed the previous day's arrival of three Japanese divisions at Buji township, located eight miles from the border in what is now Shenzhen. Earlier, around 1 November, a Japanese deserter provided intelligence of significant troop concentrations north of the frontier, including large-calibre artillery indicative of at least divisional strength.   The Hong Kong invasion force comprised three service branches: the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) deployed the 38th Infantry Division, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) committed the Second China Fleet, and the Imperial Japanese Air Force (IJAF) contributed the 1st Air Group. Command of the ground assault rested with Lieutenant-General Sano Tadayoshi of the 38th Division, supported by Major-General Ito Takeo heading the infantry group, while supporting arms including artillery, engineers, armor, and transport fell under Sano's authority. The main assault force consisted of three infantry regiments from the 38th Division, each led by a colonel: the 228th under Doi Teihichi, the 229th under Tanaka Ryosaburo, and the 230th under Shoji Toshishige. The 38th Division itself was a standard 1940s B-class infantry division of approximately 20,000 troops (ranging from 18,000–21,000 depending on operational requirements), organized into three regiments with three battalions each. Reflecting the Japanese army's reliance on animal and human transport, each regiment fielded roughly 3,800 troops supported by some 700 horses. Battalion strength averaged around 1,071 personnel, with companies numbering approximately 180 men. Japanese infantry battalions of this period featured a distinctive organization: rifle platoons consisted of four sections (three equipped with rifles and light machine guns, one with light mortars and rifles), complemented by an additional heavy machine-gun company fielding twelve Type 92 weapons and a troop of light artillery—likely Type 92 70mm infantry guns. The divisional field artillery regiment operated 75mm Type 41 mountain guns organized into three 688-man battalions, each with two troops of two guns. Mountain artillery units, numbering 36 guns total, carried additional personnel (3,400) and animals (1,400) to navigate the terrain complexities of Hong Kong operations. Recognizing the need for overwhelming firepower to compel Hong Kong's surrender, the IJA augmented the invasion force with heavy artillery—15cm and 24cm howitzers commanded by Major-General Kitashima Kineo. News of the Canadian reinforcements arriving in Hong Kong forced a reassessment. Commander-in-Chief Sakai Takashi of the 23rd Army informed his superiors that the original ten-day timeline was unrealistic and requested additional troops. Although most formations were already committed to other operations, Imperial Headquarters eventually authorized two depot regiments from Japan to support the campaign. Intended for second-line duties rather than frontline combat, these units were to be returned promptly after freeing experienced personnel for Hong Kong operations. This arrangement allowed the 19th and 20th mixed brigades—approximately 6,000 men organized in five infantry battalions, a field artillery battalion, and an engineer battalion—to be released for Hong Kong. However, Sakai's request for reinforcements met with disapproval from Imperial Headquarters, and he received an unmistakable message: a swift, decisive campaign was essential. His situation worsened when Japanese agents mistakenly identified British Bren carriers as tanks, forcing Sakai to improvise armor by raiding the 1st Reserve Tank Battalion and tankette units from infantry depot divisions. In attempting to secure additional armor from the 11th Army's 9th Reconnaissance Regiment, Sakai encountered resistance. General Hata Shunroku lodged sustained complaints with senior officials, and Sakai received a sharp rebuke—further requests would not be entertained, and his replacement would follow if necessary. Stung by this loss of face, Sakai abandoned all additional requests and became even more determined to achieve success. Vice-Admiral Niimi Masaichi, commanding the 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet, oversaw the entire naval element, divided into bombardment and attack groups. His flagship, the light cruiser Isuzu, carried Captain Ura Koichi, who simultaneously commanded the bombardment group. This naval force assembled ships from various China Expeditionary Fleet units, particularly from the Canton Special Base Force, 15 Squadron, and 11 Torpedo Boat Division at Guangzhou. Reflecting Niimi's lack of confidence in the army's air support capabilities, the seaplane tender IJN Kamikawa Maru joined the operation on his insistence, providing organic naval aviation against the threat posed by British Wildebeests. Niimi also petitioned for destroyers IJN Wakaba and Yugure to counter the three British destroyers, though this request was denied. The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) were assigned to conduct diversionary attacks south of Hong Kong Island, intended to distract British forces from the main land invasion thrust. The IJAF's 1st Air Brigade, commanded by Colonel Habu Hideharu, centered on the 45th Air Regiment with 34 Kawasaki Ki-32 Type 98 'Mary' light bombers. This composite force drew aircraft and units from airfields across China and Manchuria—Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, and Qiqihar—all assembled at Baiyun Aerodrome in Guangzhou on 7 December 1941. Supporting the 1st Air Brigade were the 10th Independent Squadron under Captain Takatsuki Akira with 13 Nakajima Ki-27 Type 97 'Nate' fighters, 3 Mitsubishi Ki-15 Type 97 'Babs' command reconnaissance aircraft from the 18th Independent Reconnaissance Squadron, and the 44th Independent Squadron fielding 6 Tachikawa Ki-36 Type 98 'Ida' observation aircraft. Years before the invasion, the Japanese cultivated an extensive network of agents and sleeper operatives in Hong Kong, methodically gathering intelligence and mapping military installations. This sophisticated network proved remarkably effective: invasion maps carried by IJA officers were actually Hong Kong Government and British military maps, overprinted with Japanese annotations and interpretations. British officers later discovered in captivity that the Peninsula Hotel's regular barber was a Japanese Navy lieutenant-commander who had exploited the intimate setting to extract valuable information about British force dispositions. Intelligence operatives infiltrated every level of Hong Kong society—the garrison tailor and barber both served as spies. This groundwork enabled exceptional accuracy in artillery fire and bombing campaigns. The Japanese further leveraged criminal networks, recruiting gangsters throughout Hong Kong and Guangdong province with money and arms, turning them into irregular auxiliaries supporting the invasion.   On Sunday, 7 December, seven hundred members of the 2nd Royal Scots and Middlesex Regiment marched to St John's Cathedral for the morning service. As Major-General Maltby read a passage from Matthew, his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant I. MacGregor, delivered an urgent message that would change everything. Preparations for conflict had already begun. On 5 December, the HKVDC had mobilized fully, yet Hong Kong's broader population remained unmoved—the Happy Valley racetrack reported record attendance that very day. The contrast was stark: while one institution prepared for war, another celebrated as though nothing threatened. Japanese forces had been positioned advantageously since autumn 1941. The 23rd Army was already stationed west of Guangzhou, with contingents scattered across Foshan Town, Zhuhai, and other locations on the Pearl River delta. Upon orders for war on 1 December, they faced minimal distances to cover. The army regrouped at Humen, Shilong Town, and Guangzhou itself—staging areas for the invasion. The first visible signs arrived on 4–5 December when Japanese forces landed at Mirs Bay; the 228th Regiment moved into its staging area at Buji Town, now part of Shenzhen City. Maltby received these reports and immediately departed the cathedral service to issue urgent stand-to orders. Yet skepticism persisted within military circles. Some dismissed the threat, dismissing such intelligence as "astonishingly erroneous." Meanwhile, the Imperial Japanese Navy massed in the waters beyond Hong Kong's horizon. The Kowloon Infantry Brigade held a stretched defensive line: the 5/7 Rajputs anchored the centre, the 2/14 Punjab the east, and the 2nd Royal Scots the west. Forward positions extended far—C Company, 2/14 Punjab, under Major S. Burns ranged along Castle Peak Road toward Yuen Long. The brigade screen, C Company of the 2/14 Punjab, held Shueng Shui and Taipo Market with four Bren carriers and two armoured cars from the HKVDC, backed by engineers and the 22nd Fortress Company. The Hong Kong Infantry Brigade held Hong Kong Island itself. The Winnipeg Grenadiers occupied Victoria City on the north-west coast, while the Royal Rifles of Canada stretched along the north-east shores from Saukiwan to Lyemun. Brigadier Lawson commanded from his headquarters at Wongneichong Gap in the island's centre. At 0355 hours on 8 December, the code word "Blossom Blossom" was transmitted. Eleven minutes later, Lieutenant-General Sakai ordered the invasion to commence. Fifty minutes after that, at 0445 hours, Major Charles Boxer—a fluent Japanese speaker formerly of the Lincolnshire Regiment—was roused by Radio Tokyo announcing that war was imminent. Governor Young and Major-General Maltby were informed at once. By 0500 hours, the forward demolition points had been blown by Major Gray, OC of C Company 2/14 Punjab, and the HKVDC engineers under Major J. H. Bottomley. At 0645 hours, the garrison received formal notification: Britain and Japan were at war. Seventy-five minutes later, air-raid sirens wailed. Within moments, smoke billowed from Kai Tak Airport as Japanese aircraft destroyed virtually the entire air garrison. The Wildebeests, Walruses, HKVDC biplanes, and several civilian planes were engulfed in flames. Only two Ju-52s of the Eurasia Corporation and one CNAC T-32 Condor escaped destruction—dispersal bays had never been built due to lack of funds. The Japanese then turned to secondary targets, bombing Shamshuipo Camp and the neighbouring police station. The Canadians suffered few large-scale casualties in the initial strikes, though Sergeant Routledge and Signalman Fairley of the signal platoon were wounded—the first Canadian soldiers injured in World War II. Remarkably, Hong Kong Island's theatres, cinemas, and restaurants continued operating as though the island faced no peril. Japanese demolition efforts proved only minor obstacles. Bridges blown were quickly replaced. The invasion proceeded on three fronts: the 230th Regiment advanced westward along the northern route toward Yuen Long and Castle Peak, targeting the northern slope of Tai Mo Mountain. The 228th Regiment drove down the centre, following the Sheung Shui–Taipo–Kowloon road toward Grassy Hill north of the Shing Mun Redoubt. The 229th Regiment, crossing at Sha Tau Kok and by boat at Starling Inlet, proceeded via Taipo toward Tai Shui Hang and Ma On Mountain. Whenever confronted with strongly defended positions, the Japanese bypassed them entirely rather than engage. The first day brought scattered but spirited resistance. Around 1300 hours, the Punjabis inflicted the first serious check, drawing blood from advancing Japanese forces. At 1830 hours, they ambushed and decimated several Japanese platoons south of Taipo market town. The HKVDC's armoured cars and Bren carriers struck similar successes nearby. The 2 Royal Scots' reconnaissance platoon clashed with elements of the 229th Regiment around Yuen Long. Despite these minor victories, Japanese momentum continued. Armed with stolen British maps and guided by fifth columnists, they pushed forward relentlessly. By late afternoon on the 8th, the Punjabis withdrew toward Grassy Hill to avoid being outflanked. The artillerymen of the 12th Battery engaged an IJN destroyer and Japanese forces around Taipo, inflicting heavy casualties. Farther south near Shatin, on the Taipo–Kowloon highway, rapidly advancing Japanese troops surprised the defenders and severed the fuse at an HKVDC demolition point. Their triumph proved momentary; the engineers completed the backup circuit and detonated the bridge, destroying it along with the Japanese soldiers crossing it. By early morning on 9 December, orders came to withdraw all mainland units to the Gin Drinkers Line. The Punjabis, already at Shatin Wai overlooking Tide Cove, held their position under pressure and continuous shelling for the next two days. The HKVDC withdrew to Fotan, a village south of Shatin. Maltby ordered D Company, 5/7 Rajputs, under Captain H. R. Newtons to Smuggler's Ridge to close the gap between the 2 Royal Scots and 2/14 Punjab. HKVDC armoured cars and Bren carriers continued patrols along Castle Peak Road while HMS Cicala, having survived two air attacks, maintained station in Castle Peak Bay. Despite an IJN blockade, the destroyers HMS Thanet and Scout slipped anchor and escaped to Singapore around 2130 hours. The surviving CNAC and Eurasia aircraft took off with high-value evacuees: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's widow and her two equally renowned sisters—the Soong sisters—along with Chinese Finance Minister H. H. Kung. Also departing was Lieutenant-Colonel H. Owen-Hughes of the HKVDC, who carried orders to coordinate with the Chinese Nationalist Army for a rear-guard attack on Japanese forces to relieve the pressure on Hong Kong. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. On 8 December 1941, Japan attacked Hong Kong with the 38th Division, supported by naval and air forces. Despite British defenses manned by undertrained, under-equipped troops, Japanese forces advanced rapidly across three fronts. Within hours, the RAF was destroyed, demolitions proved futile, and British units withdrew toward the Gin Drinkers Line facing overwhelming odds.

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Sitting down with Eva Longoria, to talk about her “Searching For” culinary series. Also, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning Ariana Debose stops by to discuss her role alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in the series “Scarpetta”. Plus, Chinese adoptee Taylor Shennett discusses her journey discovering and celebrating her heritage with the help of her adoptive parents. And, psychotherapist and relationship expert Esther Perel discusses modern dating and how to rekindle desire with your partner. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A Chinese humanoid robot beat Usain Bolt's 100-meter sprint record — clocking 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing before slamming into a wall and collapsing. Over 2,000 robots are competing in everything from racing to soccer. We've got the wild footage. Plus, a California high school football coach was fired after video showed him kicking a ball into a student's groin during practice.  Dolly Parton says she's exploring "avatar performances" amid health issues. Would you pay to see a hologram concert? We're debating it. Also: GLP-1 drugs are causing a spike in needle-stick injuries for sanitation workers, and Steve jumps into the conversation.   KSL Brightside streams live weekdays 12–3 PM. YouTube exclusive live stream from 12–1 PM, then radio + YouTube from 1–3 PM.

Karrie Shao chats with Mega Crit Games Co-Founder Casey Yano. Together they discuss developing the Slay the Spire series which helped kick off the deckbuilder genre; design pillars and an emphasis on clear information; how streamers picking it up lead to its meteoric rise; what they added to the formula in Slay the Spire II and how they implemented coop; how they parse feedback; and what happened when they upset a large portion of their Chinese audience. This episode is supported by  Xsolla iam8bit Episode Host: Karrie Shao Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and leaving us a rating and review. Follow us: linktr.ee/AIAS Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

Chinese robots break a few human athletic records at the World Robot Games in Beijing. Man took a customer hostage in a grocery store and demanded the police send him a hypnotist. Man covers himself in black tar to rob a store thinking he could hide int he dark. Weird AF News is the only daily weird news podcast in the world. Weird news 5 days/week and on Friday it's only Floridaman. SUPPORT by joining the Weird AF News Patreon http://patreon.com/weirdafnews - OR buy Jonesy a coffee at http://buymeacoffee.com/funnyjones Buy MERCH: https://weirdafnews.merchmake.com/ - Check out the official website https://WeirdAFnews.com and FOLLOW host Jonesy at http://instagram.com/funnyjones - wants Jonesy to come perform standup comedy in your city? Fill out the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvYbm8Wgz3Oc2KSDg0-C6EtSlx369bvi7xdUpx_7UNGA_fIw/viewform Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How does a suburban dad end up addicted & sleeping in a Tenderloin doorway? Tom Wolf was a suburban Dad & city employee when he became addicted to drugs. He soon found himself sleeping in a doorway in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco getting high every 90 minutes.   Now six years sober, he serves on the leadership council of Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions & is a bridge between the reality of the streets & the meeting room of policy makers.  In this episode, you'll hear his story, the down and dirty about “live & let die,” Chinese fentanyl and Mexican cartel, if housing plus services is really the answer & should we follow the Portugal model? This episode originally aired on September 9, 2024. If you liked this episode, you'll also like episode 317: LIFE IN THE VEGAS TUNNELS: CLOWNS, CRICKETS & CRANK [REMASTERED] Guest:https://x.com/gooddrugpolicyhttps://x.com/Twolfrecoveryhttps://gooddrugpolicy.org/papr/https://www.facebook.com/gooddrugpolicyhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/foundation-for-drug-policy-solutions/ Sponsors: https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/  1:07 The Foot Surgery That Started It2:23 Buying Pills On The Street4:21 Switching To Heroin5:02 The OxyContin Crisis Origins6:32 Should Purdue Pay?7:38 Fentanyl's Chinese Precursors9:09 Working For The Cartel10:38 Arrested And Released15:09 Why Not Get Shelter?16:40 Using Every 90 Minutes19:43 Housing Isn't Enough22:20 Six Strikes And Jail24:37 Sober vs. In Recovery28:57 Portugal's Decriminalization Model33:24 Decriminalization vs. Legalization35:33 Could Plant Medicine Help?39:25 Pivoting San Francisco's Approach42:31 A Hostage Takeover Of The Brain43:12 Alberta And Houston's Success45:42 Closing Thoughts And HopeRequest to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/Follow me in all the places:https://www.meredithforreal.com/  https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/ meredith@meredithforreal.comhttps://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Meta faces a $1.4 trillion lawsuit, flock cameras are sparking a privacy revolt, and data centers may be fueling the next bubble. This episode pulls back the curtain on who's watching, who's profiting, and who could pay the price. Meta's Big Reckoning Is Here Meta heads to court in a landmark trial about kids and social media addiction Ninth Circuit Ruling Will Force Online Platforms That Host User Speech to Fight Lengthy and Costly Lawsuits Before They Are Dismissed Under Section 230 The $1.4 Trillion State Tort Raid on Meta Google's Pixel 11 Comes With Plenty of A.I. Does Anyone Want That? Waymo's cheaper, next-gen robotaxi is now open to all riders in these three cities Apple and European Commission Reach Agreement on App Payment Terms Under DMA, With Apple Conceding Very Little Apple is laying off staffers working on the Vision Pro and Siri Hidden Airtag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI Amazon aims for delivery drones to reach 500 US neighborhoods by the end of 2026 NVIDIA to Back Ohio Data Center With as Much as $105 Billion Why Big Tech's AI Spending Is $3 Trillion Higher Than It Seems New Chinese model adds to AI competition Police Are Hiding Their Use of Flock Surveillance Cameras Flock mistakenly flags 2 different auto writers for "stolen" license plates Go Flock Yourself Flock socks for UV protection Ban on Chinese robots leaves U.S. startups stranded China Is Strapping 'Digital Bombs' to Civilian Infrastructure—Is the US Ready? Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Sam Abuelsamid and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: superhuman.com claude.ai/technology doppel.com joinbilt.com/twit adaptivesecurity.com

It's Monday, August 24th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Urge Chinese ambassador to allow Chinese pastor to come to U.S. ChinaAid, an international group supporting persecuted Christians inside China, has launched a petition and advocacy campaign to bring Pastor John Cao back to his home in the U.S, reports International Christian Concern. Pastor John has been imprisoned in China for seven years for his missionary work on the China-Myanmar border, helping establish 16 schools that serve thousands of local children and families. While he was “released” in 2024, he is still blocked from returning to the United States, where his wife and sons -- all of whom are American citizens -- live. To make matters worse, Pastor John now has advanced prostate cancer, and his situation is even more critical. ChinaAid's campaign and petition, which I've signed, call for Pastor John's immediate release, particularly urging President Donald Trump to personally raise his situation in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24th. Write a polite and urgent 4-sentence note to the Chinese Ambassador to America, Xie Feng, urging him to persuade Chinese President Jinping to release Pastor John Cao so he can reunite with his wife and children here in America. Send it to the Chinese Embassy, 3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008. You can find that address in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com. Wolves in White Coats: How doctors profited from “gender medicine” Appearing on Epoch TV, Admiral Brian Christine, who serves as the Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary, discussed a disturbing new report entitled “Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of so-called ‘Gender Medicine.'” He laid significant blame on the Biden administration and his predecessor, a man born Richard Levine in 1957, who pretended to be a woman named “Rachel.” CHRISTINE: “The gender ideology pushed on the American people, and these unfortunate children, by the Biden administration, the last administration, and by my predecessor ‘Rachel' Levine, he really pushed gender ideology on the country and even suggested removing age limitations on performing mutilating surgeries or castrating chemicals.” Admiral Christine defined what a sex-rejecting procedure was. CHRISTINE: “Sex rejecting procedures: What we mean is either castrating chemicals, cross-sex hormones, or even surgeries to change the external appearance of the body. These mutilating surgeries that don't do anything to change gender, but radically change the appearance of the body, and can certainly have complications along the way.” He revealed the alarming number of surgeries that were tragically performed on confused minors. CHRISTINE: “From 2019 up to 2023, $120 million spent on sex-rejecting procedures in this country. Over 5,500 surgeries, sex-rejecting surgeries on minors.” Not surprisingly, fraud abounded. CHRISTINE: “There was $11 million billed for ‘precocious' puberty in kids who were 13 to 17 years old. That's not precocious puberty. That's just puberty!” The financial incentive for the ethically-challenged doctors is obvious. CHRISTINE: “If you take a child who has gender dysphoria and you get them to agree to sex-rejecting procedures, you've created a patient for life. So, there can be a tremendous financial incentive for these practitioners and these clinics to have these patients who come back again and again and again.” Psalm 82:4 says, “Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” ‘Influencer' tries to justify her 26-week abortion A social media fitness and lifestyle influencer in Australia with 480,000 followers, named Danielle Mitchell, has publicly documented the details of her abortion at 26 weeks after discovering her baby had severe defects and might have died before birth, reports LifeSiteNews.com. MITCHELL: “We had our fetal medicine growth scan today. And they also had our results for the amnio[centesis], the chromosomal abnormalities, and some new findings on her brain, being that she won't survive.” She went viral for sharing a video on X in which she explains that she had scheduled an abortion. Oddly enough, she entitled it, “Our sweet baby girl goes to sleep with the angels today at 26 weeks.” Through tears, she said this. MITCHELL: “I feel like I'm at peace with my decision. I didn't know how late-term terminations work. “You lay on a bed, awake, and they have doctors and midwives in the room. Under ultrasound, [they put] a needle into the baby's heart, and inject it to stop it from beating. And then you slowly feel all the movements stop from the baby.  No more kicks. Get sent home for another 24 hours, back up to the hospital, and they induce you, and give birth to a sleeping baby.” Mitchell became extremely emotional, saying that she needed to “let out” the grief before she explained to her young daughter that her baby would not be here anymore. MITCHELL: “Baby sister is gonna go live in the clouds today with Nanny Sandy. Okay?” DAUGHTER: “I love you.” MITCHELL: “I love you too, baby. Cuddle?” DAUGHTER: (giggles) On X, Mitchell's video of herself explaining the abortion was shared without the context of the child's condition. She was lambasted there in a flurry of outrage, while on her Instagram page she was met with more sympathy by followers who perceived that she felt she had “no choice” and was sparing her baby suffering overall. Some social media users pointed out that the diagnoses and prognoses of doctors for unborn children are frequently false. LifeSiteNews noted, “A high likelihood that a baby will not survive birth is never a justification for the direct killing of innocent life.” In response, veteran pro-life activist Frank Pavone shared a prayer for women considering abortion, and for the protection of unborn children. He wrote, “Dear Lord, send Your heavenly angels to women thinking about abortion. Protect their unborn children, soften the hearts of their parents, and open their eyes to the truth that abortion takes an innocent human life. Amen.” Young brothers address science and the Bible And finally, Beau, age 11, and Gray Reusch, age 8, are young brothers who have gone viral on social media for creating Christian faith and apologetics content through their family's brand, Armor Up Kids. Their father is Will Reusch, the founder of Armor Up Academy. In one of their videos, they explore the Bible and science. GREY: “People say, ‘It's Bible versus science.'” BEAU: “But what if they've been saying the same thing the whole time?” GREY: “Watch this.” BEAU: “I'm Beau.” GREY: “And I'm Grey.” BEAU AND GREY: “Let's show you something crazy!” GREY: “The Bible says a grateful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17:22.” BEAU: “Science says gratitude reduces depression and improves mental health.” GREY:  “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That's Romans 12:2.” BEAU: “Science calls that, here we go, neuroplasticity. It means your brain can literally change.” GREY: “Jesus said some things only come from prayer and fasting. That's Matthew 17:21.” BEAU: “Science says fasting helps your body heal and reset itself. It's called cellular autophagy. And it actually won the Nobel Prize.” GREY: “But a peaceful heart gives life, but envy rots the bones. That's Proverbs 14:30.” BEAU: “Science shows anger increases disease and stress in your body.” GREY: “Sing and make music for the Lord. That's Ephesians 5:19.” BEAU: “Science says music releases dopamine and reduces stress.” GREY: “So, the Bible isn't outdated.” BEAU: “It's ahead of its time.” GREY: “God designed your mind …” BEAU: “and science is just catching up.” GREY AND BEAU: “So, it's not Bible versus science. It's truth confirming truth! ” GREY: “Don't ignore what God already said.” BEAU: “You might be missing what actually works.” Psalm 111:2 says, "Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them." Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, August 24th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Meta faces a $1.4 trillion lawsuit, flock cameras are sparking a privacy revolt, and data centers may be fueling the next bubble. This episode pulls back the curtain on who's watching, who's profiting, and who could pay the price. Meta's Big Reckoning Is Here Meta heads to court in a landmark trial about kids and social media addiction Ninth Circuit Ruling Will Force Online Platforms That Host User Speech to Fight Lengthy and Costly Lawsuits Before They Are Dismissed Under Section 230 The $1.4 Trillion State Tort Raid on Meta Google's Pixel 11 Comes With Plenty of A.I. Does Anyone Want That? Waymo's cheaper, next-gen robotaxi is now open to all riders in these three cities Apple and European Commission Reach Agreement on App Payment Terms Under DMA, With Apple Conceding Very Little Apple is laying off staffers working on the Vision Pro and Siri Hidden Airtag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI Amazon aims for delivery drones to reach 500 US neighborhoods by the end of 2026 NVIDIA to Back Ohio Data Center With as Much as $105 Billion Why Big Tech's AI Spending Is $3 Trillion Higher Than It Seems New Chinese model adds to AI competition Police Are Hiding Their Use of Flock Surveillance Cameras Flock mistakenly flags 2 different auto writers for "stolen" license plates Go Flock Yourself Flock socks for UV protection Ban on Chinese robots leaves U.S. startups stranded China Is Strapping 'Digital Bombs' to Civilian Infrastructure—Is the US Ready? Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Sam Abuelsamid and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: superhuman.com claude.ai/technology doppel.com joinbilt.com/twit adaptivesecurity.com

Meta faces a $1.4 trillion lawsuit, flock cameras are sparking a privacy revolt, and data centers may be fueling the next bubble. This episode pulls back the curtain on who's watching, who's profiting, and who could pay the price. Meta's Big Reckoning Is Here Meta heads to court in a landmark trial about kids and social media addiction Ninth Circuit Ruling Will Force Online Platforms That Host User Speech to Fight Lengthy and Costly Lawsuits Before They Are Dismissed Under Section 230 The $1.4 Trillion State Tort Raid on Meta Google's Pixel 11 Comes With Plenty of A.I. Does Anyone Want That? Waymo's cheaper, next-gen robotaxi is now open to all riders in these three cities Apple and European Commission Reach Agreement on App Payment Terms Under DMA, With Apple Conceding Very Little Apple is laying off staffers working on the Vision Pro and Siri Hidden Airtag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI Amazon aims for delivery drones to reach 500 US neighborhoods by the end of 2026 NVIDIA to Back Ohio Data Center With as Much as $105 Billion Why Big Tech's AI Spending Is $3 Trillion Higher Than It Seems New Chinese model adds to AI competition Police Are Hiding Their Use of Flock Surveillance Cameras Flock mistakenly flags 2 different auto writers for "stolen" license plates Go Flock Yourself Flock socks for UV protection Ban on Chinese robots leaves U.S. startups stranded China Is Strapping 'Digital Bombs' to Civilian Infrastructure—Is the US Ready? Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Sam Abuelsamid and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: superhuman.com claude.ai/technology doppel.com joinbilt.com/twit adaptivesecurity.com

Today's story: Scientists at the University of Minnesota built a synthetic cell entirely from non-living chemical ingredients. Called SpudCell, it can absorb nutrients, copy its genetic code, divide into two, and even show natural selection over several generations. However, it still depends on scientists to supply key cellular machinery, cannot reproduce forever, and does not always pass on a complete set of DNA. Researchers hope this fully documented cell will help them understand how life works and eventually develop engineered cells that can produce fuels, plastics, or medicines. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/893Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/893--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

The second World Humanoid Robot Games is underway! In this episode of Takeaway Chinese, we explore some of the exciting ways robots are being used in everyday life and learn some essential Chinese vocabulary related to robotics. Join Fei Fei and Steve for a fun and practical language lesson! (02:55) Essential Chinese words related to robots. (10:44) If you had a robot, what job would you want it to do for you?

The global IPO market is roaring back but some of the most interesting action isn't happening on Wall Street.In this episode of the Market Maker Podcast, Anthony Cheung and Stephen Barnett take a whistle-stop tour of the global IPO boom, from China's extraordinary robotics race and Hong Kong's growing pipeline of AI listings to what could become the biggest IPO in India's history.We break down why Chinese robotics companies are attracting huge investor demand, what embodied AI could mean for the next stage of the technology cycle, and why Hong Kong is emerging as an important fundraising hub for the sector. We then head to India to look at the planned listing of the National Stock Exchange, before exploring the surprisingly active IPO markets of Pakistan and Zambia.Finally, we return to the US to ask an important question: with so much investor capital being pulled towards mega AI and technology listings, are other companies being crowded out?A global look at where capital is flowing, why IPO activity is returning and what it tells us about the changing shape of markets.(00:00) The Global IPO Boom(03:48) IPOs Are Back(06:00) Careers in Equity Capital Markets(10:04) China's Robot IPO Boom(11:36) The Unitree Robotics Story(18:36) China vs the US(22:15) Hong Kong's Robot Gold Rush(27:27) India's Biggest IPO Ever(30:36) Inside an IPO Roadshow(33:01) Pakistan's Record IPO Year(36:12) Zambia's IPO Boom(39:10) Why This US IPO Flopped(40:39) The Defence Tech Opportunity

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government sees little chance of resuming talks with President Donald Trump before the midterm elections after trade talks collapsed. Carney is designing a domestic aid package to help businesses hurt by US tariffs, which will remain in place for the duration of the conflict and throughout the rest of Trump’s term if need be. The US has said the path for talks is unclear, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stating that they don’t have new talks planned with the Canadians and are moving forward with measures that respond to Canadian retaliation. 2) Iran’s oil shipments to Asia have all but dried up, driving the cost of those cargoes to the highest levels in years. A US blockade has left loaded Iranian vessels trapped inside the Persian Gulf and a fleet of empty ones stuck outside, resulting in a scarcity of oil in the region. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to unveil a plan for “the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world”, targeting Chinese refiners and the banks funding them. 3) Investors are looking for Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to clarify his views on how the US central bank should react to stubborn inflation when he speaks on Friday at the annual gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The chairman's communications strategy is off to a rocky start, and he's under pressure to give clearer guidance of how the Fed might react over the remainder of the year. Recent data have shown inflation, while still above the Fed's 2% goal, may be starting to cool, with economists estimating the PCE price index rose 3.6% in July from a year ago.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yemen in civil war, Europe deprived of another source of oil from Africa, US doesn't have enough carriers to do war games with South Korea, UAE caught doing ship to ship transfers, even Chinese ships have been halted. Tune in. All signs show Iran going on the offense not just reacting. Ryan Dawson's Anti-neocon Report is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Get a sticker packet! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ryandawson.org/subscribe

It's ev.news Briefly for Wednesday 19 August 2026, only todays headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the ev.news Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/evnewsU.S. EV SALES STABILISE AS USED DEMAND GROWSU.S. new EV sales hit an estimated 77,266 units in July, up 3.2% from June but 41.5% below July 2025, a drop distorted by last year's rush to beat the expiring federal tax credit, with EVs taking 5.6% of new-vehicle sales and Tesla holding roughly 55% on 42,435 sales. Used EV sales rose to 36,810 units, up 7.9% month over month and 10.1% year over year, while new EV inventory fell to 80 days, average new EV transaction prices reached $56,126 and used EV listings averaged $37,832.BMW CLAIMS ELECTRIC RANGE RECORDA BMW engineer drove a Neue Klasse iX3 1,030.2 km (640 miles) from Shenyang to Beijing on a single charge with five percent battery left, which BMW calls a record for its battery-electric models while stressing the extreme-range test does not reflect everyday driving. The car uses BMW's sixth-generation 800V battery system with high-nickel large cylindrical cells in a module-free cell-to-pack design, and reservations open at the Chengdu Auto Show on Aug. 21 as BMW's Chinese sales fall 20.4% year over year to 262,000 vehicles in the first half of 2026.CANADIAN ZEV SALES REBOUND IN JUNECanadian zero-emission vehicle sales reached 21,876 in June 2026, up 56.1 per cent year over year and taking 11.5 per cent of the market, the best month since December 2024 and part of a 7.3 per cent rise in overall sales that ended eight months of decline. The rebound followed the federal government's resumption of rebates in February 2026, offering up to $5,000 off a battery-electric vehicle and $2,500 off a plug-in hybrid, suggesting incentives still drive adoption.OCTOPUS LAUNCHES NORTH AMERICAN CHARGING APPOctopus Energy has launched Octopus Charge, a free iOS and Android app that lets drivers find, start and pay for public charging at 211,221 chargers across North America via 24 partner networks including ChargePoint, EVgo, Blink, bp pulse and Shell Recharge. The app offers filtering by speed, connector and network, live availability, pricing, an EV route planner and no markup on per-kWh costs, serving as the North American sibling to Octopus Electroverse.CHANGAN PREPARES AUSTRALIAN LAUNCH WITH AVATRChangan is recruiting for a factory-backed Australian operation covering both its mainstream Changan brand and its Huawei- and CATL-backed luxury brand Avatr, with a job advert referencing an "Avatr/Changan sales and service network" but no confirmed models, pricing or launch dates. The group, which sold 2.913 million vehicles globally in 2025, already has an Australian presence through Deepal and the Changan Mazda joint venture, and a right-hand-drive Avatr 07 was photographed testing in Melbourne earlier in 2026.BYD BUILDS MILAN DESIGN STUDIOBYD is building a Milan design studio led by Wolfgang Egger, formerly of Alfa Romeo, Audi and Lamborghini, to conduct European design research and tailor Denza and BYD models to local tastes, materials and fashion-house connections rather than imposing one global design. The move comes as BYD's share of the EU, EFTA and UK market more than doubled to 2.4% in the first half of 2026, matching Tesla's, while its Hungarian Szeged plant has slipped to full vehicle assembly in the fourth quarter of 2026.EINRIDE PLANS 500-TRUCK TESLA SEMI FLEETEinride will buy and deploy 500 Tesla Semis across California, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois and Georgia over 24 months from September, the largest publicly announced Semi order and 35% bigger than WattEV's 370-truck deal, fully financed by third parties and serving Amazon and other customers on its Saga AI platform. The order roughly triples Einride's deployed electric fleet and supports a target of converting about $800 million in potential annual recurring revenue, though the company has not disclosed pricing, charging plans or phasing, and Tesla has yet to publish Semi production or delivery figures.HEART FLIES X1 ELECTRIC DEMONSTRATORHeart Aerospace flew its X1 demonstrator on August 12, 2026 at Plattsburgh International Airport, a 27-minute piloted flight to 1,100 feet in what it calls the largest battery-electric aircraft flown to date, weighing over 25,000 pounds, delivering more than one megawatt and using roughly $5 of electricity. X1 is a full-scale representative of the 30-seat hybrid-electric ES-30, targeted for FAA Part 25 certification and service entry in 2031 with flight testing from 2028, and backed by commitments from United Airlines, Air Canada and JSX.ETRUCKER ADDS HGV ROUTE AND FLEET TOOLSThe eTrucker app, founded by Tobias Wagner after driving over 200,000 km in electric HGVs, has added route-break planning using TomTom Truck Routes, fleet pairing via a simple code, charging-card recommendations, pricing categories and time buffers for trailer detachment. As of 1 July 2026 it listed nearly 700 HGV-compatible locations in Germany, split between 154 drive-through sites, 158 where detachment is recommended and 387 requiring it, with Aral Pulse, EnBW, Ionity and Shell Recharge the leading operators.

Europe is taking an increasingly tough line on trade with China, accusing Beijing of subsidising exports and flooding European markets with cheap goods. Businesses and governments warn that Chinese competition is putting European industries and jobs at risk, while China's growing dominance of supply chains is adding to concerns in Brussels. Ed Butler asks whether these accusations are fair, what Europe can do about them, and whether the two sides are heading for a new trade war.Producer/presenter: Ed ButlerYou can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk(Photo: A staff member prepares for the arrival of Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and EU Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera during China-EU Sixth High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue, Beijing, 14 July 2025, Credit: Reuters)

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